Pierre Gasly says he was “shocked and disappointed” when he received the news that he had been replaced at Red Bull Racing for the remainder of the season.
Gasly joined Red Bull for 2019 in place of Renault-bound Daniel Ricciardo but struggled for pace and consistency.
Gasly had been assured by Red Bull senior hierarchy that his position was safe until the end of the year.
But during the summer break it was announced that Gasly will race for Toro Rosso for the remainder of 2019, with Alexander Albon taking his seat.
Gasly – along with Albon – were only told of the decision a couple of hours before it was made public, with Gasly revealing Helmut Marko rang him at “8.42am”.
“I found out in the morning it had been decided, and yeah of course, kind of a shock and disappointed because it's not what I had been told before also after Budapest,” he said.
“I think everything was pretty clear and discussed the last few weeks.
“Whether I understand it or not is not going to change it, so I didn't spend too much time thinking about it.
“Now the only thing I need to focus on is performing in these nine coming races with Toro Rosso at my best, and this is what I am going to focus on.”
Gasly nonetheless felt that he would have been able to make strides with Red Bull had he been retained for the rest of the year.
“For sure, I think overall, there were many things that were going in the right way, even though we still had a few issues,” he said. “I think it would have got better.
“Now I don't think there's any point to discuss about it, and I don't really want to talk about it because it's over.
“I think I have had some good lessons that are going to be useful for the rest of the season, but I need to focus on what I can change and what is going to make me faster in the coming months.”
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