Gasly: Returning to home race as F1 winner 'pretty special'

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Pierre Gasly is pumped up for his home race this week at Paul Ricard, to where the AlphaTauri charger will return for the very first time as a bona fide Grand Prix winner.

Gasly's shock win at Monza last year inducted the Frenchman into a club of just 110 drivers that have won an F1 Grand Prix since the inception of the F1 World Championship in 1950.

The 25-year-old has performed well since the start of the 2021 season, finishing among the top-ten in every race except for the opening round in Bahrain and securing a podium finish last time out in Bahrain.

Gasly's form bodes well for his return to the mother land after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

But returning as a genuine race winner in F1 will hopefully give the AlphaTauri driver an extra boost of support.

"Well, next one is my home race and yeah, we know obviously I really want to do well there in front of all the fans and spectators and, especially to go back there as a race winner will feel pretty special," Gasly told the media in Baku.

Read also: Gasly to remain AlphaTauri's 'ideal ambassador' - Marko

Gasly admitted that AlphaTauri's strong pace in Azerbaijan - where teammate Yuki Tsunoda complimented the Frenchman's P3 with a creditable P7 - had yet to be understood.

"As much as we need to analyse and understand when things don’t go well, I think when it does really well, as this weekend - we showed some very, very strong pace all weekend, we need to understand why, because at the moment we don’t really have the answer.

"Obviously surprises like this are more than welcome more often during the season but I think, more than anything, we need to understand where it came from."

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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.