Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly were teammates at Red Bull during the first half of the 2019 season. Now that the latter is leaving the Austrian’ squad’s setup permanently, Verstappen took time out to give a heartwarming speech to him.
Even though Gasly spent just half a season with Red Bull, he has been a part of their academy for the entirety of his F1 career. Other than his short stint with the Milton Keynes outfit, Gasly has driven for only Toro Rosso/AlphaTauri in F1, which is a sister team of Red Bull. Consequently, he has always been very closely associated with them.
Over the last few years, Gasly patiently waited for an opening at Red Bull for him. However, Sergio Perez’s arrival made it clear that they weren’t counting on Gasly for the long run. The Frenchman needed to make the next big step in his career and join a team that could potentially challenge for wins and Titles. After Fernando Alonso’s Alpine departure was confirmed, the Enstone-based team revealed that Gasly would join them in 2023.
Max Verstappen praises Pierre Gasly’s AlphaTauri heroics
Verstappen spoke about his relationship with Gasly over the years during Honda’s Thanks Day event in Japan. The Dutchman revealed how they have known each other since their karting days and grew up competing against one another. He then praised the 26-year-old for being a leader at AlphaTauri.
“We go way back,” Verstappen said. “We started racing early on against each other in go karting. Then of course we both became part of the Red Bull family. We became teammates as well in Formula 1.”
Max Verstappen’s farewell message to Pierre Gasly at the Thanks Day event in Japan. pic.twitter.com/s0WZRaHO6X
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“I know you’re incredibly talented and you work really hard for everything you have already done so far,” the 2-time World Champion continued. “You’ve been a real team leader as well at AlphaTauri which I have a lot of respect for.”
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Verstappen wishes Gasly good luck for Alpine adventure
Gasly and Verstappen seem to have a good relationship off track, and the latter admitted that he will miss the Frenchman’s presence in the Red Bull family next season onwards. However, he also understands why Gasly chose Alpine over staying behind at AlphaTauri, since it’s important for him to make the next big step in his career.
Verstappen said that he was very excited for Gasly’s future with Alpine, and hoped for their paths to cross once again.
