Gasly is a 'really mature driver'

Red Bull Toro Rosso Team Principal Franz Tost has heaped praise on Pierre Gasly for his recent performances behind the wheel, particularly in the Hungarian Grand Prix last week, and thinks that the Frenchman has developed into a "really mature driver" in 2018.

Gasly impressed in Budapest by finishing in sixth position, while also being the only driver outside of the top three teams of Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull to finish on the lead lap.

With Daniel Ricciardo's shock departure from Red Bull announced this weekend, Gasly has emerged as one of the leading candidates to replace the Australian and partner Max Verstappen for the 2019 campaign.

Although Tost would not comment on any speculation linking Gasly to Red Bull, he had nothing but positive words for the 22-year-old, and thinks that his race management in Hungary displayed an increasing maturity behind the wheel.

“From FP1 we were competitive,” Tost said to Motorsport.com.

“Pierre was nearly always within the first 10, and I was quite convinced that we could do a good job, and that we could score points.

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“That we could finish in sixth position in qualifying, I was not sure about this. But we did a very good qualifying in difficult conditions, which showed that the car in the wet was very competitive.

“Pierre had a good start, and defended his sixth position, and brought it home without any troubles. He controlled the race – when he had to go a little bit faster he did it immediately – and he had no problem with the tyres or fuel saving.

“He showed a fantastic performance, and he’s become a really mature driver. He’s improving his performance, his understanding. F1 is complicated, but he’s using all the tools to his advantage, and I’m really impressed.”