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Gasly's style too 'aggressive' for Red Bull's RB15

Red Bull Racing's Pierre Gasly reckons he needs to rein in his aggression to extract more from his RB15 and from F1's 2019 tyres.

Gasly's first few races with Red Bull did not produce the results he expected, the Frenchman struggling to get anywhere near the level of performance of his team mate Max Verstappen.

Lately however, the Frenchman has made progress, a headway that has partly followed his car's development and partly his own improved understanding of his mount.

"I'm not too far [off]," said Gasly, quoted by Motorsport.com on how far he is from feeling satisfied with his and his car's performance.

"I think that we've found something I am pretty happy with, but still there are a few things I'd like to change, so it's difficult to know exactly how far.

"But what I can feel is that there's more to come. At least with what we've found there is more consistency, more predictability and I think it's a better baseline to work from every weekend.

"We're pretty happy with the baseline we have but I think to really find the last few tenths there are a few things we need to change and also on my side to really suit the car as it is at the moment.

"Coming into the team with the package we had at the beginning, I think the performance on some tracks was good but still my driving style was too aggressive and it didn't suit the car so well.

©RedBull

A major characteristic of Red Bull's RB15 is its variance in balance in certain corners, with the car's behavior changing from entry to mid-corner to exit.

That distinctive trait hasn't been helped by Gasly's heavy left foot although its impact has been reduced.

"I think it's clearly something that happened at the beginning of the year, something we tried to improve to get a more consistent balance and less shift through the corner," he added.

"I think it's still an area we need to improve but we made a step compared to the beginning of the year.

"For me, at the moment, the traction, we're trying to get it really clean and the fact I'm quite aggressive on the power sometimes pays off and sometimes makes the car quite snappy and overheats the tyres.

"We know what happens with these tyres so I think it's more in this area I can improve myself."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.

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