The French driver spoke about the performance of the Australian and the, for now, Alpine reserve driver
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Pierre Gasly gave statements on a renowned Formula 1 podcast and openly expressed his opinion about Franco Colapinto, whom he praised, and commented on Doohan's performance at the start of the season.
On Beyond The Grid, the official Formula 1 podcast, the French driver highlighted the work Franco Colapinto is doing in his first months as Alpine's reserve driver. According to the Frenchman, he would like to see the Argentine on the grid soon, as, in his opinion, when he had the opportunity at Williams, he already demonstrated his talent and speed to compete in F1.
Gasly habló bien de Colapinto en Beyond The Grid
"After all, I love Franco and he's doing very well. I'm sure he has his place on the grid, but we shouldn't forget that all teams have a reserve driver. I was a reserve at Red Bull, I was also testing at Toro Rosso and I wanted the official drivers' seat. I liked them, but I'm not here to watch, I'm here to race," he commented in conversation with Tom Clarkson, British journalist and presenter of the category's official press conferences.
The main Alpine driver also praised his teammate and referred to the possibility of Colapinto replacing Jack Doohan, after the Australian's inconsistent start: "All reserve drivers want the official drivers' seat, regardless of who you are. Jack last year was a reserve driver and Esteban and I knew he wanted to race in one of the cars. It's the normal dynamic of a team and Franco is there, obviously, he wants to drive. I hope we see him on the grid very soon, because he has proven to be a very strong driver."
Colapinto jugó al Pádel con Gasly
Regarding his current teammate at Alpine, Gasly noted that he maintains a great relationship with him and lamented the pressure with which he had to start his career in Formula 1. He recalled how special it is for any driver to reach the top category and how uncertainty about the future can make one lose sight of the most important thing: "being in situations of uncertainty about your future, you forget the most important thing, which is to enjoy the experience and the fact of having fulfilled your dream."
Gasly respaldó a Doohan en medio de las críticas por sus flojas actuaciones
"There are no performances there, Jack is an unbelievable guy, very funny. It's easy to get along with him and he's a very fast driver. I know he's not having the easiest path in Formula 1 and there are several situations I can say I also went through and didn't feel good, I didn't like, and in Formula 1, you have to enjoy your time and he dreamed of being part of the grid for a long time, but when you get there, it's all about performance," Gasly stated about Doohan's present at Alpine.
To conclude, the Frenchman was asked if he considers that Doohan has been subjected to excessive and unfair pressure, to which he replied: "Yes. The guy was in all the media before he started racing in Formula 1.
You need to give him time and the passing of the races will tell, but he's in this position because he was given the opportunity and because people believed in him in the first place, and it's a very tough environment. There will always be a lot of demands, it's obvious that there will be talk, but what's unfair is that not everyone is talked about in the same way, and I don't like it."
