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Gasly enjoyed the time on the podium
Photo: POOL / REUTERS
When the national anthems had long been played at the Autodromo di Monza, Pierre Gasly was left alone on the podium.
He wiped the remains of champagne off his face with his hand, repeatedly shaking his head while the last of the confetti fell on him.
It was probably the first moment that afternoon when the 24-year-old began to realize what he had achieved.
As an outsider, he had won the chaotic Italian Grand Prix at the Alpha Tauri.
For Gasly it was the first victory of his Formula 1 career, for which Scuderia Alpha Tauri the first since 2008 a certain Sebastian Vettel also won in Monza, at that time still under the name Toro Rosso.
In the Ferrari Mecca they let the "Fratelli d'Italia" play at a time when Ferrari is not competitive.
Both Vettel and Charles Leclerc had not experienced the restart in the 28th lap after Leclerc had raced into the track barrier (23rd lap), Vettel was already eliminated in lap six.
Ferrari experienced a debacle, Gasly a sensation.
For him it was also a satisfaction.
Toro Rosso, Red Bull - and back
There are eventful times behind the French racing driver.
Gasly has been driving in Formula 1 since the end of 2017;
at Red Bull's sister team, he indicated his potential.
When Daniel Ricciardo moved to Renault alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull after quarrels about the hierarchy, Gasly took over Ricciardo's cockpit at the ambitious racing team just one year after his debut in Formula 1.
Gasly rarely lived up to the high standards at Red Bull.
He had a lot of trouble getting used to the new car.
In the first tests in the Red Bull, he found himself in the lane twice, which had affected his self-confidence.
Even then, voices had been raised that Gasly was not ready for the cockpit.
Red Bulls Motorsport Director Helmut Marko said that Gasly is not at Verstappen's level yet - "but we didn't expect that either".
Demonstrated on Netflix
While Verstappen then regularly fought for victory or at least the podium, the Frenchman never made it onto the podium.
The Netflix documentary "Drive to survive" shows how Marko and Red Bull's team boss Christian Horner talk about Gasly during this time.
"Gasly is bad," said Marko in the pits, and Horner: "He loses four tenths in the last two corners, I think we could both do that too."
It was a humiliation, but it was only made public after the episode was delayed and broadcast in February of this year.
Gasly was exchanged at Red Bull much earlier.
Before the summer break in August 2019, Red Bull announced that it would replace him with Alexander Albon.
Gasly's dream came to an end after twelve races when he failed as a pilot for a top team.
But it got worse for him.
Just two weeks after the announcement of the new change, the French Formula 2 driver Anthoine Hubert died in a racing accident in Spa.
They had known each other since school, and Gasly and Hubert lived together in one room for six years.
Two weeks ago at the Belgian Grand Prix, he was laying flowers at the scene of the accident.
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Gasly at the accident site of Anthoine Hubert in Spa
Photo: JOHN THYS / AFP
"The best day of my life"
Back at Toro Rosso, things were looking up for him and he took second place in Brazil in the penultimate race of the 2019 season.
"This is the best day of my life," he said over the pit radio after crossing the finish line.
That was almost a year ago.
In the meantime, the situation around Gasly has calmed down.
After the strong performances Toro Rosso gave him a contract for the new season.
And he delivered: He made it into the top ten four times, in Monza for the fifth time.
But the Thai Alex Albon is having a hard time at Red Bull in the shadow of Verstappen - and voices are loud again that want to foresee Gasly's next team return.
It's not that far yet, especially since Albon has a considerable standing at Red Bull thanks to the shares of the Thai family Yoovidhya in the beverage company.
In Italy, Gasly was forced to reboot, taking the lead with a penalty against Lewis Hamilton - the race was on his side.
And although in the end he drove slower lap times than his rival Carlos Sainz, he saved the win with a four-tenths advantage.
"I'm not someone who gives up," said Gasly after the race.
"I always had to fight for everything in my life."
Gasly's success at Monza is special, especially in times of serial winners like Lewis Hamilton.
He didn't want to leave the podium at all.
Gasly said: "You never know how often you will experience these moments."
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