Pierre Gasly says his improved form since returning to Toro Rosso from Red Bull has shown him the importance of teamwork in Formula 1.

He lost his place at Red Bull after 12 races for them at the start of the year. Alexander Albon , who took his place at the team, was this week confirmed by Red Bull as one of their two drivers for next year, a decision which came as no surprise to Gasly.

“I knew it was going to be like this,” he said. “So ultimately it wasn’t really a surprise.”

“I had discussions with Helmut [Marko, Red Bull motorsport consultant] and the team and this was something which was quite clear between them and myself,” he added.

Since returning to Toro Rosso, who he drove for last year, Gasly has out-scored team mate Daniil Kvyat. Gasly said this showed the importance of getting the most out of his interaction with the team, which has helped him perform more consistently.

“The second half of the season, the main lesson on my side that I’ve learned is I realised how much of a team sport Formula 1 is,” he said. “I think that’s the main lesson I’ve learned over the last couple of months.

“We’ve showed with Toro Rosso since I returned in Spa that we have had really competitive races, really competitive weekends, a couple of Q3s, four points finishes. So it’s been a really strong second part of the season.

“I’ve really enjoyed working with the team since I came back in Spa. They’ve given me everything I need to perform consistently every weekend, which at the end makes it more enjoyable.”

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2019 F1 season