Formula Racing
We caught up with Pierre Gasly, who's taking on the world of electric car racing.
Any racer who reaches the top has their own path in getting there. For some it’s prescribed; almost formulaic. For others, the route can be circuitous to the point of appearing entropic. However, if you achieve your ultimate goal, which for racers like Pierre Gasly is competing full-time in Formula 1, then that path is just a necessary step of the journey to greatness, no matter how serpentine it may be.
At only 21-years-old, Pierre has achieved quite a bit in his burgeoning professional career. In 2016, he managed to capture the GP2 Championship in only his second full season in the series. Now in his third year as a test and reserve driver for the Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso F1 teams, Gasly signed on to compete in the Japanese Super Formula Championship for the 2017 season.
Just a few rounds into the series, Gasly’s finishes have steadily improved. While poised for success in Japan, when opportunity knocked, Gasly welcomed an invitation from the Renault e.dams team to compete in the Brooklyn Formula E doubleheader. Sebasiten Buemi, the championship leader at the time and Gasly’s reserve driver counterpart for Red Bull Racing, had a conflicting race and would not be able to compete in the US rounds. Not one to back down from a challenge, Pierre jumped at the chance to race a new vehicle in the first ever motorsports race to take place on the streets of New York City.
When we say NYC was Gasly’s first chance to race a new vehicle, this is not an exaggeration, as he explained, “I only arrived last night, so I didn’t get to do the shake down [practice] yesterday. That’s why it was quite busy for me today because I missed the practice yesterday. I arrived really late yesterday from England. I had less than five hours of sleep, so I am starting to feel it a little bit. Tonight I will get a good night’s sleep and hopefully feel better tomorrow and be ready for another good race.”
With literally zero experience driving a Formula E car, Gasly still managed to qualify in seventh position, which is exactly where he finished at the end of the first day of racing in The Big Apple, “For me it was quite exciting and it’s been a busy day. There are a lot of things to learn but I quite enjoy it. In the race today it was quite crazy and there were so many contacts (with other cars). Some really close battles. Really different to what we are used to in racing. So many more battles and I must say it was good fun. We have another race tomorrow so I think it’s going to be good for me. I’ve learned a lot today. I am getting more confident lap after lap so I think I will have a better shot for the next race tomorrow.”
The following day’s event would prove to be much more promising, as the young Frenchman predicted. After taking the top qualifying time, Gasly captured fourth place in the SuperPole. Fourth is also ultimately where Pierre would finish in the 49-lap final after a controversial run-in with Mahindra Racing’s Nick Heidfeld in the final corner of the race. The incident left Gasly’s Renault badly damaged but he did manage still to slide it across the finish line.
Ultimately deemed as a racing incident, Gasly and the rest of the Renault e.dam team seemed satisfied with the overall performance of the promising young talent. On his first time racing an electric vehicle (and on unfamiliar grounds) Pierre remarked, “It’s a completely different experience. You cannot compare with Formula 1 or Super Formula. It’s good because you are driving on narrow tracks, so it makes it feel much faster than it looks from the outside. We are really close to the walls everywhere and it’s just different. You don’t have any down force; you have road car tires. Of course, you go much slower on the straights compared to Formula 1, but it’s just a different type of racing.”
Will we see more of the French prospect on the quieter circuits of Formula E? One can imagine that Renault e.dam would certainly hope so, but Gasly is set on his ultimate prize, “For me clearly the main target is to be in F1 next year. That is my only focus at the moment. I’m just taking this weekend as a really good opportunity to have my own experience of Formula E. It’s always good to learn a new car; it’s always exciting, but my real goal is still for F1.”
You can get up close to Formula E at the Red Bull Ring next month in a free event that celebrates all aspects of electric vehicles. As well as show runs, there’s the chance to meet 2016 Formula E champion Sébastien Buemi and newly crowned Formula E champion Lucas Di Grassi and his team-mate Daniel Abt.