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The French driver was able to cut him from 10th place for the eighth race of the season, a safety car was sent to the track due to Kevin Magnussen’s stop car, and then a closed boxing lane came as close as it could.
After a later restart of the race Gasly outlasted Lance Stroll with a defined maneuverthen he pushed the gas pedal to the ground to start the chase. Although he had hardly any tires left at the end, he successfully defended Carlos Sainz and clinched the first Formula 1 victory of his career.
“It’s amazing. I really can’t find the words,” said the young French driver cheerfully. “I still can’t believe what happened to us! My first victory in Formula 1 … “
“I got my first podium in Brazil a couple of months ago and today my first win at Monza with AlphaTauri, an Italian team. It can not be better. We work very hard, day by day, from race to race … And everything that has happened to me in the last 18 months … I couldn’t have hoped for a better victory … “
Gasly says he sat on the podium a little after the champagne because I wanted to live in the moment.
“I didn’t want to run away because these moments … You can never know how many times you can enjoy these moments. I wish the Tifos had been here and the stands were full of people, as it is better to be on the podium in this race. Obviously 2020 is a bit different, but regardless, I wanted to sit down for a bit to experience the moment as so many thoughts were spinning in my head. “
“I thought about my family, my friends, my siblings and everyone who supported me all the time. This is when you think about everything that has happened. I tried to imagine so many people with typhus under the podium. It was a very special moment. “
Competitor AlphaTauri was also asked if how difficult the second half of the Monza race was, when he was clearly able to fight for victory.
“After restarting the race, there were 28 laps left. He managed to overtake Lance at Turn 1, and I think that helped a lot for the rest of the race. Lewis then came out of the box, and then I was able to run my own race. It was reminiscent of the days of Formula 2, when you just drove the race and concentrated on driving your own turn around the corner. “
“Initially, I pushed very hard because I wanted to break the shadow of the wind from those behind me and there was no one in front of me, so I knew I had to buy time in the corners. The last 5 laps were very hard, my tires were completely exhausted. I slid at every turn and saw Carlos slowly approach. I knew that I would be very angry with myself if I lost the victory in the final laps. I gave it my all and I am very happy to have my first victory in Formula 1 ”.
“I knew he was struggling a lot with the acceleration from Turn 1, so before the first turn, at the end of the DRS zone, Carlos could have tried it, or in the second deceleration,” I saw him getting closer and closer, and as soon as the gap narrowed to a second and a half – except for the last lap, I managed to save energy so I could defend myself in case I tried something. “
“I was able to stay behind, but luckily the race was not longer because there is nothing left of these medium compound tires.”
Gasly betrayed a timely wheel change was the turning point of the race – and you know exactly, luckily they needed the first win.
“To be honest, when we stood out and came out of the box, I saw the safety car and I said on the radio, ‘Is this a joke now? We excel at the worst possible moment. ‘ Then they said ‘okay, boxing entrance closed’ and finally things turned out very lucky. We couldn’t have planned this, the position of the stars was good for us, we had an angel who took care of us. Obviously there were 30 difficult laps after that, but that was the turning point. “
The 24-year-old’s talent went through tough times in 2019: He was kicked out of Red Bull for poor performance, And in Belgium he lost his friend Anthoine Hubert.
“It was a very difficult time last year,” Gasly said. “I grew up with my four brothers and I think I went through difficult times as a child that made me quite a strong character, I had to fight for everything I wanted.”
“But I always managed to turn negative energy into positive energy, and what happened last year hurt a lot, and I felt that it was not fair, but I said to myself: I know that I am fast, I know what I am capable of, always for victories, for pole positions. I’ve fought for championship titles throughout my career, and that’s what I want in Formula One. “
“I worked very hard with the team and knew that they were given everything to show what was in it. I tried to focus on my own performance, I didn’t really pay attention to others, I went from race to race, looking for where I could improve. I tried to get more out of myself, the team. “
“And they do an awesome job, giving me everything I need to be competitive every weekend. Sometimes we are fast enough for the top 8, sometimes for the top 10, other times for the top 12. But they really put the energy into my performance, which I appreciate and am very grateful that I had the opportunity to win my first Formula 1 today.
