Pierre Gasly says teaming up with childhood friend Esteban Ocon at Alpine next season is "just an incredible story" but also an opportunity for the pair to "clear a bit" what happened in the past.
As Normandy natives, Gasly and Ocon were mere six-year-olds when they cut their baby teeth on a karting track near their hometown.
As they sailed through the ranks and began their motorsport career in earnest, personal issues on and beyond the track put the two young guns at odds with each other.
However, Gasly has fond memories of their childhood, and insists his past differences with Ocon are water under the bridge and won't spoil a great opportunity to fly the French flag with Alpine from 2023 as their extraordinary destinies converge.
"I think it's more than talking about the relationship," commented Gasly, speaking about his future tie-up with Ocon and the realization of an extraordinary dream.
"It's talking about the odds of us being teammates when we were six years old and racing in karting on a small track next to our hometown.
"Under the snow, there was no one that turned up, and we were the only ones that turned up doing free laps, getting in the track, trying to warm us up.
"At that time it was only a dream to get to F1, and we knew that even the chance for one of us to make it there was pretty much impossible.
"But to be now racing in the same team in F1 for a French manufacturer is just an incredible story.
"We have had our ups and downs in our relationship, but I do believe this is also an opportunity for us to clear a bit what's happened in the past, and I'm definitely not worried.
"We are mature enough and intelligent enough to know what is best for us, and mainly most important for the team."
Gasly knows that just bundling his and Ocon's talent won't push Alpine up the grid. The pair will need to work together to fulfil theirs and their team's ambition.
"At the end of the day, we all have the common target to be fighting at the front, we all want podiums, we all want to win, and we know for that we've got to work together for the team, and push the team forward," he said.
"That's why I'm not naturally concerned about it, because it's for our own good to work together. We both know it very well, and we are both smart enough and mature enough now to know that."
Asked if he had spoken to Ocon on the run-up to Alpine's announcement last week in Japan, Gasly said: "Not really, until it was signed and all sealed, and we had the opportunity to see each other.
"We will have time to spend some time together, and I'm definitely not worried, it's not a concern at all for the coming year."
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