Pierre Gasly labelled his Formula 1 debut as “special” and revealed that he completed his maiden Grand Prix in Malaysia without a working drinks bottle.
Gasly was drafted in by Toro Rosso to replace Daniil Kvyat in Malaysia, and will remain in the STR12 for this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, as Toro Rosso evaluates its options for 2018.
Gasly qualified in 15th position and came home in 14th place, having been overtaken by Romain Grosjean late on, and revealed his task was complicated by a malfunctioning drinks bottle.
“This was a special race for me, as it was my first ever Formula 1 race – a day I will never forget,” said Gasly.
“It was definitely a good experience, I’d say even better than what I expected.
“I tried to do my best and pushed as hard as possible!
“It was a really physical and tough race – my drink system didn’t work properly, the water was going all over my face and not in my mouth! – and it felt like a long race…
“But with such a big adrenaline boost that I got, I just kept focusing until the end. I was quite close to [Kevin] Magnussen during the whole race, but it was quite difficult to close the gap.
“I think I also need a bit more experience regarding tyre management – I struggled at the end of the race.
“I also think I didn’t manage the blue flag situations perfectly – I lost a bit of time – but this will come with a bit more practice, I’m sure!
“I will now have a look back at the race and see all the things I can improve for the next race in Japan this week.”
Carlos Sainz Jr. made up places by extending his first stint on Super Soft tyres but was forced into retirement by an electrical issue.
“I think that we were doing a very good race and we showed a much better pace than during qualifying,” he said.
“When it comes to races we always seem to extract a bit more out of the car.
“We were good for points but, unfortunately, in the end we had to retire due to an electrical issue. It’s a real shame, as up until that point the car was responding very well to everything.”
