Alpine’s Pierre Gasly is the latest driver to tackle F1.com’s unusual set of Getting to Know questions. From his eye-opening first experience of karting to getting a driving licence on his birthday, and growing up with Charles Leclerc to the other jobs he would like to try for a day, the Frenchman shares all in the video player above and transcript below…
Can you describe yourself in three words?
Ohhhh. There we go! These type of questions… Okay, I see… I’d say competitive, for sure – that’s the first one that comes to mind. Genuine. And winning! That’s pretty much what drives me.
What made you fall in love with F1?
The speed made me love F1. The adrenaline. I still remember that feeling the first-ever time I jumped in a go-kart, I was six years old on a track back in Normandy near my home. If I close my eyes, even right now, I can just visualise exactly me leaving the pit lane for the first time, going down that straight, going through the grass, because it was the first-ever time, trying to find out my lines and stuff. I just remember that feeling of excitement, fear and adrenaline. It was like a cocktail of emotions. I loved F1 before, like watching on TV, but really that feeling of speed and being so low in the kart from the ground really made me fall in love with it.
Gasly made his F1 debut with the then-named Toro Rosso team back in 2017
How many times did it take you to pass your driving test?
I passed it the day of my birthday! In France you can pass it… I don’t know if it has changed, but at the time you could only pass it from the moment you turn 18, so I set the appointment on the 7th of February, on my birthday. I think it’s like a half an hour assessment and the guy asked me a couple of questions about F1 for 10 minutes. I was reserve driver back then, and he told me, ‘Okay, well, we’ll skip the rest! You can just go back, you’re fine!’ That was pretty easy. To be fair, the true story is [he was] the dad of a guy I used to race with, and he was like, ‘I know he’s a good driver!’
When was the last time you cried with laughter?
One of my best friends, we do have a lot of these type of moments. We get to that point a couple of times a week. Probably earlier this week!
Who’s your best friend inside the paddock?
I’ll go with Charles [Leclerc], because I’ve known him for so many years. Yuki [Tsunoda]… I see Yuki as almost my little brother, who’s turning into a big man now! He’s got big shoes on at the moment. I mean Charles, we’ve known each other, our parents know each other very well… We used to spend amazing time off the track, we used to race together when we were kids, but we’ve [shared] so much special moments [on] the racetrack that it sort of created that genuine and very strong bond between each other.
Gasly and Leclerc are good friends, having grown up together while karting
Which three F1 personalities past or present would you invite to a dinner party and why?
James Hunt is the first one!
His name has come up a lot…
Yeah... (Laughs). He’s the type of guy that definitely fully lived his life and probably experienced a lot more than the average F1 driver. Umm… Ayrton Senna, obviously classic, he’s been definitely my idol and someone I’ve looked up to since I was a kid. If I say Senna, I’ve got to go with Alain Prost, but I know Alain and I’ve had the chance to have chats with him and be quite close to him actually, so I’d probably go with [Juan Manuel] Fangio. So, Fangio, James Hunt and Ayrton Senna!
If you had to take a driver to a desert island with you, who would it be and why?
I had Kimi Raikkonen that came up in my mind because he won’t talk much so at least we won’t argue! (Laughs). If I had to take another F1 driver, I’d probably go with Charles, because we know each other, so at least it would be more entertaining. Or I’d take Yuki, because he’s got great cooking skills! At least I’ll have my lunch and dinner sorted every now and then.
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How many languages can you speak? And are there any others you would like to learn?
I try to speak one very well, which these days is becoming difficult, because I’m French but I speak more English in my life. I speak French, English, Italian, basic Spanish, like school level Spanish, a few words in Portuguese… I’ll say three quite fluently and two others where I get my way around Spain. I can order beers in Spain and they understand me!
What’s your favourite film and TV show of all time?
I used to love Harry Potter when I was a kid. It’s like that sort of magic stuff behind it, and it really felt like it took me into a different world, which was quite pleasing. These days, I just get on a series and I love it. Actually, the one on Michael Jordan [The Last Dance], I absolutely loved it, because it was a mix of raw footage from back then with interviews from more recent [times], where he tells more his side of the story that he couldn’t really tell at the time. I’ve been always a big fan of MJ, so probably that series is my favourite.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice… I’d probably say I remember Jean Alesi, he told me in karting back then just to go step by step. You obviously always dream big and always look very far away in terms of ambitions and where you see yourself, but he was like, ‘Before looking at the outcome and the end goal, be really focused on the present and focused on what’s now. Once that’s done, then it’s the next step and what you’ve got to do to make the best of that next step. Ultimately, you’ll get to the place you want’.
French F1 legend Alesi had some useful advice for Gasly early in his career
I remember this was in Monaco, I was probably 13 years old, and at the time it’s like trying to understand what it means when you’re a kid, but then it sort of all made sense later on. Then just enjoying life. It’s a very simple thing, but we’re always worried about what’s next, what’s next, what’s next? At the end of the day, we’ve got to enjoy what’s happening now and what we’ve got now. I feel like it’s very basic, but it’s very important.
Which other job do you wish you could try for a day?
Hmm… I’m intrigued with space, or I guess like an astronaut. For a day, you won’t go very far away! I really like my design, interior design and this type of thing, so an interior designer could be one. Playing a Champions League final inside a full, 100,000 [capacity] stadium is definitely something I dreamed of in my life many times! I’d like to be even a Wall Street trader for a day... I think that’s pretty cool, rocking up to your job and just that adrenaline. I think it brings a lot of adrenaline and pressure, and that must be quite a cool feeling!
What’s your proudest moment in F1 so far?
Monza 2020 – my first win in F1 and the most special race up to this day in my career!
Where do you want to be in five years’ time?
Five years’ time? World Champion in F1. I mean, that’s the only goal, honestly. I’m not really interested in any other things!
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