Pierre Gasly believes he could have succeeded at Red Bull without the “unfair” demotion a year ago.
The Frenchman was drafted in at the start of last year to replace Daniel Ricciardo but struggled to settle alongside Max Verstappen and often found himself racing in the midfield.
Despite regular reassurances about his seat, Red Bull’s patience wore out in the summer break and Gasly joined Daniil Kvyat as the only two drivers to be sent back to Toro Rosso.
And while he has enjoyed a much more successful year at the junior team, including his first podium in Brazil, Pierre admits it remains a disappointment.
“If I could have avoided that part, it would have been better because with Red Bull there were clearly a lot greater things to achieve together,” he told The Race. “But in the end, the situation was what it was.
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“It gave me the opportunity to show my mental strength, probably show a bit more of my personality, that I’m not someone who gives up.
“Even if I felt last year was pretty unfair, I still kept my feelings together and tried to maximise all the chances I had after that. Obviously, there were some positives.”
This season Gasly’s replacement Alex Albon has also struggled, leading to speculation on whether Red Bull may reconsider Pierre given his strong performances.
And while Gasly accepts he may not have agreed with Red Bull’s decision last summer, it was a moment that has helped him grow as a driver.
“I felt it was quite harsh and probably unfair, but I guess that’s just sport in general,” he continued.
“You always learn more from challenges and build up yourself a lot faster. As many successful people say, success comes from many failures before. I believe you develop a lot more as a person from facing these kind of challenges.
“I wish we could have avoided that, but that’s just a reality. This happened. I look forward and move forward, maximise every opportunity and I think that’s what we’ve done with AlphaTauri since I joined them at Spa last year.”
