The Formula 1 Exhibition is delighted to announce that Pierre Gasly’s AlphaTauri maiden race winning car from Monza 2020 will be exclusively displayed when the show opens in Madrid later this month. Following a close collaboration between Gasly, his management team, AlphaTauri® and the show’s producers, fans will be able to enjoy unique access to the ‘Monza Miracle’ race-winning car as it goes on public display for the first time. Located in the Exhibition’s Design Lab room, its inclusion marks both Gasly’s and AlphaTauri’s unexpected and now famous victory at the FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO HEINEKEN D’ITALIA 2020, which shook up the racing world.
The nature of Gasly’s win, the first by a Frenchman in Formula 1 since 1996, captured the imagination of fans and made headlines around the world. Starting in 10th, he took to the front on lap 28 following a 25-minute red flag period in Monza. Closely chased by McLaren’s Carlos Sainz and Racing Point’s Lance Stroll, Gasly and his Honda-powered AlphaTauri AT01 set the pace until the finish line to secure his and the team’s first ever Formula 1® win, marking an historic moment in the sport.
“There is nothing better than being called a Formula 1 race winner. I would say in my life, this is probably what has sounded the best out of everything. It was an incredible moment,” explains Gasly in his interview with the Formula 1 Exhibition team. “During the race, once I saw how things were shaping up, I knew okay, this is my moment. This is my time to shine. There’s no way I’m letting that opportunity slip away from my hands. I think we had 25 laps in the lead. They were long, but I must say I enjoyed every single lap. Being in control of that race was the best feeling I have experienced in Formula 1.”
Speaking about the AlphaTauri AT01 that he took to victory, Gasly continued: “The way that things happened, I don’t think I could have expected a better first F1 race win than with AlphaTauri, and as a midfield team we were not real contenders for victory. But still nevertheless, we had the right mindset and the right approach. Cars in Formula 1 make a big part of your results and of your performance. Sometimes it’s not that easy to achieve a top five, a podium or a race win. Even amazing drivers didn’t get the chance to experience that because they didn’t have the car. I am someone who is very calm, so I am able to clear my mind and just focus on the driving. But at the same time there is a switch. As soon as I pass the line, all these emotions – very, very strong emotions that I’ve been pushing away – come back and I just let everything go. I am very emotional and that is why once I pass the line, I always say the normal Pierre comes back to life. That’s when all the emotions come out.”
His victory even drew the attention of the French President, Emmanuel Macron, as Gasly explained: “This was 2020, right in the middle of COVID, so we didn’t have any spectators or anyone in the paddock. I was standing on top of the podium with no one in the grandstand. It was a very, very strange celebration. And then a couple of minutes later, the French President called to congratulate me for the race win, but unfortunately I couldn’t pick up because I was in the debriefing. I couldn’t answer my President, which was terrible. I tried to call him back, but he was definitely busy with other things, so I didn’t manage to get a hold of him!”
Opening on 24 March 2023, the world’s first official Formula 1 Exhibition will be hosted at the renowned IFEMA MADRID. Officially developed in association with Formula 1 and with unprecedented support from the motorsport community, the immersive show boasts a wide range of artefacts and contributions from the sport’s most legendary teams, experts and personalities. Produced in partnership with Round Room Live and delving far beyond what fans have ever seen before, the show’s seven unique rooms use bold, technology-led design features and large-scale interactive displays to lift the lid on the past, present and future of Formula 1. Several years in the making, the exhibition combines spectacular audio-visual design, rare film and imagery, engineering and educational displays, sculptural pieces and iconic Grand Prix cars to deliver an unforgettable experience for everyone – from avid followers to younger fans and families. Tickets can be purchased HERE from €19.99.
