'Never satisfied' Gasly hungry to fight for wins and titles

Toro Rosso driver Pierre Gasly gives himself top marks for how he's performed at Toro Rosso since making his bow in Formula 1 at last year's Malaysian Grand Prix.

But the 22-year-old former GP2 champion is also quick to add that he's never really satisfied with how he's done - and that he doesn't know if he has done enough to secure a top seat at Red Bull in 2019 over Carlos Sainz.

"Objectively, looking at everything, it’s been really positive," he told Crash.net in an exclusive Q&A interview. "I would say overall, a lot of experiences. It’s been great.

"Of course we had big up and a couple of downs," he added. "Unfortunately I had a couple of races where I didn’t race at all, like in Barcelona for example with the crash, and Paul Ricard. So I lost a couple of opportunities.

"But in a way I’m kind of never satisfied," he admitted. "If it’s not perfect I’m not super-satisfied."

• Tost proclaims Gasly is now a 'mature driver'

Gasly's best result so far in F1 was fourth place in Bahrain. He also finished in the points in Monaco and Hungary. But the performance of the STR13 hasn't been reliable enough to make him a regular contender this season.

"For sure the consistency is something that I was hoping to have with the team," he conceded. "But at the moment, from one race to another, we seem to be able to fight in the top 10, and then another one where we’re out in Q1 straightaway with no chance."

Gasly agreed that such wild variation in form sometimes made it difficult for him to prove his true level of competitiveness. And that might impact on whether he gets considered by Red Bull as a successor to Daniel Ricciardo in 2019 or whether the nod will go to Sainz.

“It’s the same as Carlos, we both wait and see what happens," said the Frenchman. "If I’m fast, I’ll get my chance. I have to concentrate and make sure I’m fast.

"At the end of the day, I know when I’ve done a good job or not," he insisted. "I don’t need anyone to tell me, ‘What you did was good’.

"I know as long as I perform well, they [Red Bull] are going to be happy," he added. "As long as you just push as hard as you can and show great performances, I do believe that opportunities always come.

"It’s clearly a target [to be] a Red Bull driver," he acknowledged. "[But] when you start to focus on all the things going on in the paddock - 'Okay, this guy is going there' - you just waste energy for nothing.

"It doesn’t bring you any value for your performance. The only thing I try to focus on is myself and how I can try to be better as a driver. You can always improve yourself.

"I’ve been always really strong with my ideas and desires," he added. "And when I have something in mind, I will do everything to make it happen.

"I’m happy to stay on board with Toro Rosso when they need me. But of course, I also want to fight for victories and titles as fast as possible."

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