Pierre Gasly has revealed he confided with Sebastian Vettel to overcome the disappointment of not earning an immediate promotion to Formula 1 after winning the 2016 GP2 title.
The Frenchman found no room in the Red Bull F1 stable with both seats taken at the junior and senior outfits for 2017 and instead, headed to Japan’s Super Formula series with no champion able to then remain in what is now F2 for the following year.
Eventually, his time would come, replacing Daniil Kvyat from the Malaysian Grand Prix, but he admitted having to wait after GP2 had been a tough pill to swallow.
“I get on really well with Seb. He’s been a good help for me,” Gasly said in the latest Beyond the Grid F1 podcast.
“I just went to see him to say ‘Okay, what do you think about my situation? How do you see things and what kind of advice can you give me?’ We sat down, I remember, in Mexico after the drivers’ briefing and he was just super friendly and super nice.
“He told me his experiences with Red Bull and what he thinks, what I should do and the kind of advice that a world champion can give to a younger driver.
“He told me Super Formula was a great chance to go abroad and that I just need to keep pushing and show them [Red Bull] that you don’t give up because they keep testing you.
“Even now with the position I’m going to be in, I spoke with Seb a bit and for me, at the end of the day, he is one of my idols. That may sound a bit strange but he’s someone I looked at in karting and it’s great to be in F1 with him now.”
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Gasly’s F1 rise has been a rapid one in his first 12 months and will culminate with a seat at Red Bull in 2019, replacing the Renault-bound Daniel Ricciardo, and the chance to go head-to-head with Vettel is an exciting one for the 22-year-old.
“We’re going to fight next year but he’s someone I really respect a lot and he’s impressive as a person,” Pierre continued. “Really smart and really humble and for me, I really enjoy to catch up with this kind of guy and always learn things from the experience.”