RACE DEBRIEF

    He hails from France, races for Toro Rosso, and celebrates his 22nd birthday this week. Want to know more than that about Pierre Gasly? We're here to help...

    Q: Apart from driving a Formula 1 car, what is your favourite buzz? Pierre Gasly: Playing football. When I am at home I play with my friends. And I go to the matches of PSG (Paris Saint-Germain) to support them, as I have a friend who plays for them.

    Q: Which film last made you cry? PG: It was a movie about the 2004 Tsunami in Thailand. It’s called The Impossible.

    Q: What are you afraid of? PG: Snakes. I really don’t like them!

    Q: What was the last book you read? PG: The Core: Better Life, Better Performance by Aki Hintsa [the late F1 health and fitness guru].

    Q: What did your teachers say about you in your school report? PG: It was different between when I was in lower grade and later. In lower grade they wanted me to jump a year, but my mother opted against it as she thought that I would have more time enjoying other things. Later it was always: ‘He’s got good potential, but is almost never in school!’ I was karting almost every weekend. I also always enjoyed playing the class clown, but as I got good marks I could afford to do that! (Laughs)

    Q: Do you have any guilty pleasures? PG: I have many pleasures, but I don’t feel guilty about any of them! The closest would be tiramisu. Every time I see it on a menu I cannot hold back.

    Q: Do you collect anything? PG: I did in the past – collecting all my caps. But then they got so many and messed up my room, so I gave them away to friends or my mechanics. I want to start collecting again – trophies! (Laughs) I still have all of them from past years, but somehow they could start rolling in again. And I do like watches, but for a proper collection you need the money first.

    Q: What do you miss most about home when you’re travelling? PG: Family. I left home when I was 13 so didn’t spend much time at home as a kid. So it always has been a pleasure to go back home. I have a big family – four brothers.

    Q: What was your worst buy? PG: I have always been cautious about money. So far I have never been one to spend big money on stupid things. Well it sometimes happens when I go to the casino – playing roulette. I don’t know why, but it gives me an excitement that I don’t find in anything else other than driving a race car. Both make for a high adrenalin level.

    Q: What was the most embarrassing moment of your race career? PG: Probably the typhoon in Japan [which, last year, cost Gasly the chance to win the Super Formula title at the final round). I lost out on the championship by half a point – for weather conditions! I would have preferred to lose by ten points for a reason rather than by half a point for a typhoon.

    Q: When was the last time you were really angry? PG: It was in Austin 2016 when (Red Bull motorsport consultant) Helmut (Marko) told me that Daniil (Kvyat) was signed for 2017. I thought that was not fair: I had just won the GP2 championship. It was a mixture of being angry, disappointed and sad.

    __Q: Which superpower would you prefer: being able to fly or being able to become invisible? __ PG: Both. If I need to know what is said in a meeting I can just sneak in – and on a race weekend I can just fly out of the paddock.

    Q: Do you sing in the shower? PG: Yes, sometimes. But as I hardly remember a song, most of the time it’s a mixture of many songs.

    Q: Do you believe in love at first sight? PG: I am still 21, so I’ll say yes. In ten years’ time I guess I would answer with a no.

    Q: You can invite three people to dinner, living or dead. Who do you invite? PG: Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Barack Obama. I think they all made a difference.

    Q: What was the best thing about being a child? PG: You can make all the mess and are not held responsible for it.

    Q: What should everyone try once in their lifetime? PG: Driving an F1 car.