Pierre Gasly said his podium at the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix made up for missing out on a podium at the Monaco GP earlier in the season.
Gasly qualified seventh in Monte Carlo and finished in the same position after pitting just before the rain arrived.
By contrast George Russell, who stayed out to gamble on the wet weather, managed to inherit third place after he gained by making one less pit-stop in the race than his rivals, as everyone stopped for intermediates.
Gasly‘s teammate, Esteban Ocon would go on to finish third after Russell made a mistake at Turn 5, leaving Gasly feeling like a podium opportunity was missed.
However, after finishing third around Zandvoort following Sergio Perez‘s time penalty, the Frenchman felt as though the world had righted itself.
“In Monaco, we missed out on the podium with the strategy,” Gasly told media, including Total-Motorsport.com. “So there’s this sort of small frustration that builds up because we’ve been quite unfortunate.
“You need to move on to the next race and always keep that positivity and mindset and really put that frustration away and that’s what we did. There was a lot of change inside the team, which always brings a lot of uncertainty to everyone in the garage.
“I think it was the best way we could have started after the summer break to start on good foundations and to also just restart with the right mindset and attitude inside the team.
“So I’m really pleased that I managed to bring that in Zandvoort and I think it can give us a good push until the end of the year.”
Fond memories of Monza
The greatest moment of Pierre Gasly‘s career came around the Monza circuit three years ago as he won his first ever F1 race.
Following a 10-second stop-and-go penalty awarded to Lewis Hamilton for pitting when the pit-lane was closed, the then-AlphaTauri driver inherited the lead of the race.
He took off like a rocket and successfully kept Carlos Sainz at arms distance, managing his tyres and electrical battery like he had won a thousand races before.
He crossed the line in first place to give AlphaTauri their first win since 2008 and became the first French driver to win since Olivier Panis in 1996.
“The nicest memories of my life are here,” Gasly added to the media, including Total-Motorsport.com “So even this morning, I was driving to the track, and even if it’s been now three years, I was just feeling the excitement and the emotions that I got.
“It’s a very positive boost, it brings a lot of joy and positivity inside my life.”
