Franz Tost feels Pierre Gasly has become a ‘mature’ driver after a strong performance during the Hungarian Grand Prix, where the Frenchman claimed sixth position, and was the only driver not from the leading three teams to finish on the lead lap.
The Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda driver has become a leading contender for the vacant seat at Aston Martin Red Bull Racing following Daniel Ricciardo’s shock departure to join the Renault Sport Formula One Team in 2019 and did his chances of a promotion to the senior Red Bull team no harm with his showing at the Hungaroring, where he starred in both Qualifying and the race to score his third top ten result of the season.
Toro Rosso team principal Tost admits he has been impressed by the way Gasly has developed as a driver this season and was pleased with his wet weather pace that saw him qualify sixth on Saturday, but also with his Sunday pace that saw him score those important eight points.
“From FP1 we were competitive,” said Tost to Motorsport.com. “Pierre was nearly always within the first 10, and I was quite convinced that we could do a good job, and that we could score points.
“That we could finish in sixth position in qualifying, I was not sure about this. But we did a very good qualifying in difficult conditions, which showed that the car in the wet was very competitive.
“Pierre had a good start, and defended his sixth position, and brought it home without any troubles. He controlled the race – when he had to go a little bit faster he did it immediately – and he had no problem with the tyres or fuel saving.
“He showed a fantastic performance, and he’s become a really mature driver. He’s improving his performance, his understanding. F1 is complicated, but he’s using all the tools to his advantage, and I’m really impressed.”
