Pierre Gasly: “I clearly believe in this project” regarding the Toro Rosso Honda partnership
In an interview with the French site "minute-auto," Pierre Gasly discusses the future Toro Rosso-Honda partnership and his experience with Japanese work methods, drawn from his season in Super Formula in the land of the rising sun.
The Frenchman Pierre Gasly is set to miss the United States Grand Prix to compete in the Super Formula finale in Japan, where he has a real chance at the title (he is only 0.5 points behind the leader). He gave an interview to the website “minute-auto” in which he talks about his current activities, as well as the new Toro Rosso-Honda partnership.
The Red Bull Junior driver talks about his hopes of being signed with Toro Rosso for 2018. He also mentions the upcoming engine partnership with Honda being prepared at Toro Rosso, as well as his experience with Japanese methods, which he is already experiencing in Super Formula with Honda this season.
To begin with, the Norman explains what Japanese work methods entail: « Clearly, it will be a real advantage for me to have already worked with Honda when they arrive at Toro Rosso. Their culture is obviously very different, but so are their communication and work methods. It took me some time to figure out how to work well with them this season, but now I know better how to communicate. They are not used to being too harsh or too direct. The Japanese always communicate constructively, so you should never antagonize them. They tend to say yes to everything, even if they disagree. Therefore, to ensure you’re on the same page, sometimes it’s necessary to check things ten times rather than just once. »
The member of the Red Bull team describes the Japanese decision-making model: « They place great importance on hierarchy. As long as the boss hasn’t given the green light, nothing can move. Decision-making is clearly not as fast as with us. After this experience, I hope to have the opportunity to work with them next year in F1. »
He then talks about his year in the Japanese championship and this feeling of growing support: « I really had a great year with them in Japan. I won races for them and our relationship developed well. I know that today I have a lot of support from them and that makes me happy, because it wasn’t necessarily the case at the beginning of the season. »
The last part of the interview focuses on the partnership between the Italian team Toro Rosso and the Japanese engine manufacturer Honda. The driver bearing the number 10 clearly hopes to be part of the adventure and is optimistic about the success of this new partnership: « Yes, I clearly believe in this project. They are perfectionists who want to prove they are capable of succeeding. It is probably a matter of honor for them after the difficult relationship they experienced with McLaren. They have made significant progress over the past six months compared to the previous two years. Of course, catching up with the gap to the other manufacturers doesn’t happen overnight, so we will see where Toro Rosso and Honda stand at the beginning of the 2018 season. It will take time. »
The one who will find his place again in one of the Toro Rosso cars for the remaining three races this season believes that Honda is doing everything to satisfy the team next year: « They are investing a lot of money. I am not an engineer and I don’t know Mercedes’ secrets either, but Honda must work hard to find the magic formula. What I can do is maintain the best possible relationship with them to optimize our package and remain constructive, while making the most of what we have. »
