As part of a daily series in the run-up to the start of pre-season, Motorsport Week brings you brief left-field reflections and stories of teams, drivers and reserve/test drivers that will be part of the Formula 1 paddock in 2019.
Pierre Gasly will race for Red Bull in Formula 1 this year after getting the nod to replace Renault-bound Daniel Ricciardo.
It comes after a 26-race spell with Toro Rosso, and the association between the respective parties meant Gasly was free to test for Red Bull in Abu Dhabi last November, giving him something of a leg up in his 2019 preparations.
But it was far from the first time that Gasly had appeared in Red Bull overalls.
Gasly joined Red Bull’s driver scheme for 2014 and a year later was competing in the GP2 Series, having also effectively taken on a reserve role for both Red Bull and Toro Rosso.
A day after making his Formula 1 test debut with Toro Rosso at the in-season Barcelona session in 2015 Gasly took the reins of Red Bull’s RB11 at the Catalan venue. He finished the day third-fastest and with 75 laps on the board.
Gasly returned to the RB11 for the next session at the Red Bull Ring and also completed two days of running in both the RB12 and RB13 across 2016 and 2017 as he racked up substantial mileage with the senior outfit.
Indeed, it means that Gasly’s first Red Bull F1 race car will actually be the company’s fifth that he has driven.
Compare that to new team-mate Max Verstappen, whose first official outing in a Red Bull Formula 1 car came during practice for the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix.
