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Pierre Gasly says long-time Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko liked how he reacted after missing out on a Formula One promotion at Toro Rosso.
The Faenza-based team announced in late October that it would keep an unchanged line-up for the 2017 season, with Carlos Sainz returning for a third campaign and Daniil Kvyat retained despite a challenging year.
Red Bull junior Gasly, who was then fighting for the GP2 Series title, acknowledged his frustration and disappointment in the wake of the decision but the Frenchman managed to regroup and win F1’s official feeder series.
“When you invest a lot of energy, time and work, you're disappointed to miss out on the opportunity,” Gasly told French radio channel RMC over the weekend.
“I think [Red Bull] saw that I was doing my best to make it. That's what they like.
“Helmut liked how I reacted. He pushes me and supports me well. The relationship has been better for the last two or three months, even though the decision was not in my favour.
“He supports me, pushes me and motivates me to keep giving it all, knowing that things can change very quickly in F1.”
Gasly should race in Super Formula in 2017, with the 20-year-old hoping to emulate new McLaren-Honda driver Stoffel Vandoorne’s achievement of earning his F1 stripes with strong performances in the Japan-based series.
“I was told that I was at the right place at the wrong time, that they had to keep Kvyat for another year, that I was very young, that they were happy with my job and that I should keep giving my best, pushing for my opportunity,” Gasly added.
“They told me things should change within a year and I should keep giving my best, as things can change very quickly in F1.”
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