Formula 1 | Gasly on the race in Mexico City: “I want to redeem Austin”

Pierre Gasly looking for redemption in the next Mexican Grand Prix, the 18th round of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. After the unfortunate retirement in Austin, which caused technical problems with his AT02, the Frenchman intends to return to battle for the top positions in the standings , with the aim of giving the team important points for the fight with Alpine and Aston Martin in fifth place in the constructors' championship.

“It's a shame about Austin's retirement, we could have brought both cars into the Top 10 and gained a couple more points on the Alpine,” said the Frenchman. “But overall it was a good weekend and we finished with two cars in Q3, clearly ahead of Aston Martin and Alpine all weekend. So, despite the two retirements in the last four races, the fight for fifth place in the championship is still open."

“Now a triptych of consecutive races awaits us and it is the first time, for a couple of seasons now, that we are so far from home”, he continued. “Rest, recovery and good sleep will be important, because managing the various time zones will be quite complicated. After Austin I returned to Europe to work on the simulator, then changed time zones again and headed to Mexico for this triple-header, with long flights and a change of continent. It is important to be at 100% in each of these races. As for the car, we have to try to get the best out of a package that we now know very well and, another important fact, some of the tracks on which we will race will suit the car better than others."

“The last time we raced in Mexico, in 2019, I finished ninth. It's the type of track where you have to be fit, because the altitude makes things more complicated. You feel it much more if you go racing, but when you're in the car you don't notice it, even though this puts a lot of strain on the car: the power unit, the brakes and every other part where cooling is crucial. And as far as aerodynamics are concerned, we will go to the track with maximum load, but the density of the air will mean that the cars will have a lower load even than in Monza and there will be a lot of sliding. The crowd here is incredible and I expect a crazy reception this year, given the success that Checo and Red Bull are having this season. The atmosphere is incredible,” he concluded.