Exclusive Interview: Gasly Excited for Honda Stint

We caught up with Toro Rosso driver Pierre Gasly for an interview and he spoke on various subjects ranging from Super Formula to his foray into Formula E. He even spoke of his expectations for the upcoming Formula One season and the chance to work with Honda.

Q. You’ve competed in Super Formula, Formula E and Formula One in the same year, what was it like competing in 3 different disciplines of racing?

Super Formula was different, different steering and different tyres. The biggest change was in Formula E. It was a heavier car with no gears. It was different feeling altogether. I had some testing with Red Bull in Budapest and Bahrain prior to my debut. Super Formula easiest to adapt to since it was closer to a GP2 car that I drove last year.

Q. Is there any one aspect where a Super Formula car is better than an F1 car?

No not better than F1, F1 has more power, more torque and higher top speed. More importantly, there are more people to work with in F1. You have so many more engineers to deal with. Another difference between Super Formula and Formula One is that Super Formula does not use tyre blankets. But in the end, its still driving, the technique is the same.

Q. What were your early racing days like?

My family was involved in racing like Rally, Go kart, Endurance and others. I have 4 brothers, 3 of them did some karting. My family took me to my first race when I was young, later I realised I didn’t want to be a spectator. I had my first test in a go kart at 6 years after that I was given my first kart at 8 for Christmas.

Q. Have you ever faced any struggles in your motorsports career?

Of course, facing a struggle is part of your journey, it makes you stronger. You need to have that mentality to keep improving every season. Sometimes you may have no funding but you are always pushing more and more

Q. Are you excited about the challenge of racing with a Honda power unit?

I’m very excited about my first full season. It will be a great challenge as Honda have made progress in last 6 months. Its still too early to say anything but Honda are really pushing to deliver the best power unit.

Q. What are your thoughts on the HALO?

I don’t like it aesthetically and I don’t see why its necessary. As a driver you have to accept the risks. Formula One has been like this [open cockpit] for many years. It’s a big change from what F1 used to be. Of course, we were all affected by Jules’ passing. But I think that even HALO wouldn’t change anything. We as drivers may not like the HALO but we will have to get used to it