Pierre Gasly is seen by many as being at the top of his game, but the AlphaTauri team leader believes he can still improve as a driver.
Gasly enters his fourth full season of Formula 1 on the back of a strong campaign in 2020 with AlphaTauri marked by his shock milestone with in the Italian Grand Prix.
The Frenchman readily admits that 2020 was a break-through year, both for himself and his team. But the 25-year-old is looking to be more consistent this season and to avoid mistakes.
"I think last year I did a very good job and I was able to drive the way I wanted and I managed to have an excellent relationship with my engineers," Gasly says.
"We understood what the team needed, what I needed and how to work together and that’s what brought the results.
"I was really satisfied, but there is still room for improvement, room for fine tuning. What you need over the whole year is to be consistent and to score at every opportunity.
"We need to see how the car goes in Bahrain and then we’ll know more. But the key will be consistency and not to make any mistakes."
©AlphaTauri
AlphaTauri's 2021 line-up blends experience with youth, with highly rated rookie Yuki Tsunoda replacing Daniil Kvyat alongside Gasly.
Gasly says he is ready to fulfill the role of team leader alongside AlphaTauri's young apprentice.
"Of course, Yuki’s arrival means I will have more responsibility within the team and I’m ready to take on the role of team leader," said the Frenchman.
"However, he is a very quick driver and he will help us move the team forward. I know Yuki, he is a competitive guy and showed what he can do in F2, that’s why he was promoted to F1 after just one year. We will work together to achieve that.
"He lacks experience, so it won’t always be easy for him, but I think he is talented and it will also be up to me and the team to lead the way."
However, Gasly's status as team leader won't change his approach to his work.
"His arrival doesn’t change my approach, which will be the same as last year, when we got the most out of what we had to work with at pretty much all the Grand Prix, apart from one or two.
"So, we must keep going with the same philosophy, as I really believe last year was the team’s best in terms of the way it worked, the development, the performance and in the way it managed the race weekends.
"I think that goes for me too and we just have to keep going like this to try and do a little bit better than we did last year."
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