Despite record TV audiences tuning in for live races around the world, the supporting cast of motorsport\u2019s greatest soap opera operated under the duelling shadows for much of 2021, such was the ferocity of the title battle that transcended sport.<\/p>\n
A number of drivers flourished away from the glare of mounting interest, including Gasly, who finished ninth in the driver standings \u2013 the best of the rest after the two title contenders, plus historic titans Ferrari and McLaren.<\/p>\n
Gasly \u2013 whose demotion by Red Bull was a key focus of F1:DTS in season 2 \u2013 spoke exclusively to RadioTimes.com<\/a> as the plucky AlphaTauri driver reflected on a \u201ccomplete\u201d season for him and his team, as well as his fierce ambitions going into 2022.<\/p>\n Gasly is an unassuming figure. Clad in a plain cream jumper and dark jeans, relatively tall in a stable of diminutive F1 drivers, he doesn\u2019t fit the mould of a sparky young race car driver with nine top-six finishes in the sport last season<\/p>\n He\u2019s an articulate speaker, a deep thinker, polite. The way he speaks about racing, Gasly is clearly relaxed, settled, exuding the quiet confidence of a man who knows he\u2019s punching above his car\u2019s weight yet feels he\u2019s still got haymakers to come.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is nothing in my life that triggers that much excitement and adrenaline inside my own body [as driving in Formula 1].<\/p>\n \u201cThere are some times it does feel like I\u2019m driving something other than an AlphaTauri!<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been really enjoying it. I\u2019ve seen the evolution from 2018 to 2021, how the team has shaped up and built confidence through all these years. When I came we were fighting for 12th or 13th position then I came back [after Red Bull in 2019] and suddenly we\u2019re fighting for top 10s.<\/p>\n \u201cWe managed to get our first podium together, we managed to get our first win together but last year was by far our most complete season.<\/p>\n Check out more F1 features: F1 on TV<\/a> | F1 calendar 2022<\/a> |\u00a0 F1 salaries 2022<\/a> | F1 drivers and teams 2022<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe level that I\u2019ve seen from the team really made me enjoy and appreciate every race. We came and everything was possible, every single time \u2013 that was the mentality. The season last year was insane. I think all of us, we even told ourselves at the end of the year, 110 points is something we never thought we could achieve but we did it. The target is to do even better this season. I\u2019m definitely going for that second win.\u201d<\/p>\n He grins, a hundred turns flash through his eyes as memories of that glorious win in Monza clearly screech through his brain. He can\u2019t help but grin.<\/p>\n That remarkable race in 2020 saw Gasly capitalise on safety cars, penalties and a red flag restart to claim his maiden victory in Formula 1 against all the odds.<\/p>\n The Frenchman, just 24 at the time, was forced to fend off an intense challenge from Carlos Sainz, then at McLaren, as his pace started to fade. Gasly led for the final 25 laps: \u201cIt was a long end of the race, it was way too long,\u201d he jokes nervously, as though the lead could still be retrospectively torn from his grip two years after the fact.<\/p>\n While appreciating that the AlphaTauri car enveloping him simply won\u2019t boast the dominance of 2022 creations from \u2018parent team\u2019 Red Bull or wound-licking Mercedes, Gasly\u2019s target for 2022 is simple: \u201cWinning races.\u201d<\/p> \u201cI think objectively, the way I see it is 23 races, 23 opportunities. There are going to be things happening, we have got to be the one always there showing our nose. Whenever there\u2019s going to be an opportunity, we have got to be the one taking it.<\/p>\n \u201cLast year there was Budapest, it was kind of a crazy race. Baku was kind of crazy, there were a couple of crazy ones. And that\u2019s going to be the target. We\u2019ll try everything to make it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n He is under no illusions. He will not be leading from the front in 2022. However, it\u2019s clear he relishes the underdog status without toning down his ambition.<\/p>\n Gasly is determined to win races but knows he must be smart, generate pressure on the pack ahead and seize opportunities to pounce when they arise, forgoing any delusion of dominance, instead carving out his role as an opportunist on the grid.<\/p>\n And he is meticulous in his preparation to do exactly that: \u201cWhat I love about F1 is that it requires such a high level of attention and focus. I\u2019m the sort of person, I\u2019m thinking a lot, I always have a lot going on in my head thinking about a lot of things, I\u2019m just that kind of guy.<\/p>\n \u201cF1 is the only moment where I can really feel myself focused on one specific thing. I\u2019m completely extracting any external thoughts that are always in my head, like every single day. You\u2019re really focused on the moment and that\u2019s what it\u2019s all about.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have got to be focused on one thing. Next corner, what do I have to do to go as fast as possible? To be very like \u2018one step at a time\u2019 once you\u2019re in the car. There is no space for any external thoughts, which I love. This level of attention is just insane.<\/p>\n \u201cThis year literally feels like two seasons in one because the break was so short. I had a couple of days off with my family over Christmas with my friends but I was straight back into training because last year was intense but this year is going to be very tough.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are 23 races in four or five weeks less than last year. It\u2019s just gonna be like weekend after weekend and I wanted to get physically ready for it. That\u2019s why I only took a short break and then straight back into training.\u201d<\/p>\n The spotlight won\u2019t naturally pour down on Pierre Gasly in 2022 but given his form, given his focus, don\u2019t be shocked if this rising star demands your attention before long.<\/p>\n \u201cI want the second win.\u201d<\/p>\n Formula 1: Drive to Survive season 4 launches globally on Friday 11th March 2022, exclusively on Netflix<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for something else to watch, check out our TV Guide<\/a> or visit our Sport<\/a> hub for all the latest news.<\/strong><\/p>\n The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now \u2013\u00a0subscribe now<\/a>\u00a0to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, l<\/strong>isten to the\u00a0Radio Times podcast<\/a> with Jane Garvey.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/body><\/html>\n By Michael Potts Published: Thursday, 10 March 2022 at 12:00 am \u201cI knew I had a big head but seeing it on the big screen\u2026\u201d Pierre Gasly stares up at the white expanse of the screen that had just finished beaming his scaled-up face at the Formula 1: Drive to Survive season 4 premiere. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":12029,"template":"","categories":[1,7,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/03\/pierre-gasly-on-f1-form-and-bullish-ambitions-i-want-the-second-win.jpg",620,413,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/03\/pierre-gasly-on-f1-form-and-bullish-ambitions-i-want-the-second-win-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/03\/pierre-gasly-on-f1-form-and-bullish-ambitions-i-want-the-second-win-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/03\/pierre-gasly-on-f1-form-and-bullish-ambitions-i-want-the-second-win.jpg",620,413,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/03\/pierre-gasly-on-f1-form-and-bullish-ambitions-i-want-the-second-win.jpg",620,413,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/03\/pierre-gasly-on-f1-form-and-bullish-ambitions-i-want-the-second-win.jpg",620,413,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/03\/pierre-gasly-on-f1-form-and-bullish-ambitions-i-want-the-second-win.jpg",620,413,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Michael Potts Published: Thursday, 10 March 2022 at 12:00 am \u201cI knew I had a big head but seeing it on the big screen\u2026\u201d Pierre Gasly stares up at the white expanse of the screen that had just finished beaming his scaled-up face at the Formula 1: Drive to Survive season 4 premiere. The…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/12028"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12029"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\""Pierre\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/03\/GettyImages-1376597231-dc15fdd.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413"\" "\\"\"Pierre\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Loved this\u00a0Big RT Interview<\/a>? Check out these\u2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\""Pierre\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/03\/GettyImages-1372809191-f474605.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413"\" "\\"\"Pierre\\"\/")
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