Pierre Gasly: Interview with the French driver
A life at 300km/h around the world aboard his Alpine including Formula1 grand prix, podiums, football matches and a collaboration in the world of fashion with Kappa.
Pierre Gasly , French Formula 1 driver for Alpine , has racing in his blood: his father, grandfather and older brothers are all drivers. Born in 1996, he made his debut driving single-seaters in 2011, in French Formula 4. From there, the championship victory with Tech 1 allows him to enter the Red Bull young driver program, and after a few years of experience in minor championships, in 2017 he debuts in Formula 1. This is followed by some team bounces between Red Bull and Toro Rosso until 2019, when he won his first podium in Brazil, playing for the final head-to-head with Hamilton. But it was in Italy, in Monza, the following year, that he managed to achieve victory.
"A dream. I remember two things from that day: sitting on the first step of the podium and the call from Emmanuel Macron. Not recognising the number, I hung up but listened to the voice message that began with “Hi, I'm Macron, your president” and I thought, “shit, I didn't answer!”. It's not something you expect on a normal day at work." Monza marked the turning point. «In the career of an F1 driver, not many of us really experience what it means to win. It's a unique sensation. Once you win, you get so much exposure that you can really feel and see the change in your life." A life among engines from a very young age: «at two years old, my mother often took me around the track with the stroller to watch my brothers race karts. When you are a child and you hear the motor constantly, you become addicted to it. I still remember when I was three and a half years old. My brother had a race and they made me screw a wheel just before the start. He won and ended up on the podium with his trophy and I thought, “And where is mine? I put the wheels on the kart. I want my trophy." I was proud of it.
So they put me on the podium and gave me a small award to show off. Already there I understood that I wanted to become a driver and that I wanted to win." Cars in the Gasly family are the protagonist of a family ritual, «on Sunday we all got together, ate and then watched Formula 1 on TV. Every single weekend." Today Pierre's Sundays are on his Alpine, and he speeds around F1 circuits around the world, before returning to Milan, the city where he has chosen to live. «I am hyperactive, my life is hyperactive and Milan satisfies these needs of mine. There are many things to do from sports to concerts." Pierre is a big PSG fan, but living in Milan he doesn't escape the charm of the derby: San Siro, Milan-Inter. Or Inter-Milan. «They often ask me which team you support, but after three years here I still can't decide. I love football and I just like watching a good game. Last year I went to the Milan-Inter semi-final. I didn't even recognise the two teams. Every time there was a goal I celebrated, regardless of who scored it." For Pierre, Milan is also fashion. «A few years ago I started to become passionate about it, also thanks to the possibility of being able to participate in fashion shows and events. From season to season, things evolve so quickly. There is some kind of logic, but at the same time it all depends on the creativity of the designers. This is what I like. And it's definitely something I would like to explore more in the future." In September he became the face of the campaign for the new Trackside capsule by Kappa® and Alpine, which pays homage to the roots and sporting, technical-engineering DNA of both brands. «The Kappa philosophy has a lot in common with F1, in which all aspects of the sport are present: performance (mechanical and physical), speed, innovation. It's also what it means to be a sports brand. You have to innovate, be disruptive, be performant. The capsule has managed to encompass all of this and I am proud to represent it."