Pierre Gasly made his debut with Toro Rosso in 2017. Now it’s been six years since the Frenchman joined Formula 1 racing, but his journey up till here wasn’t easy. In the Fast & Loose: F1 podcast, Gasly recalls his tough childhood days.

Becoming an F1 driver takes years of grit and determination, and certainly, the journey wasn’t a piece of cake for the French driver either. Coming from an ordinary family to becoming a race winner in F1, Gasly has shown the utmost devotion.

The Frenchman has been in the sport for some time now and, during this time, he has amassed a lot of fans. His lifestyle has also changed to a luxurious one. But do you know the hardships the 26-year-old driver faced in order to reach here? Let’s hear it from Pierre Gasly himself.

When jokingly asked, “you don’t have a billionaire daddy?” Gasly replied, “Doesn’t need the wallet.”

The other host then interjected and said, “That’s a good son,” before Gasly continued, “I take care of the wallet now.”

The host further asked Gasly, “You know some would say that you’re self-made you know how does that make you feel against you know the rest of the grid?”

To this, the Frenchman responded, “That’s a big reason why I’m here. I’ve seen my, my parents doing huge sacrifices financially to the point that I’ve seen stuff at young age that I should have never seen. You know, like kind of tax advisors coming home because my parents were putting all their money into my karting career and could not afford to pay taxes.”

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He further added, “Everything they had for me to achieve my dream it kind of created a sort of mental power and like an attitude and mentality to push myself beyond anything.”

Surely drivers like Gasly are an inspiration to the upcoming generation.

Pierre Gasly says F1 is not all about money

Next year, the Frenchman will be joining Alpine, which will be his first venture outside the Red Bull Umbrella. Pierre Gasly was only 21 when he made his debut in 2017.

Gasly got associated with Red Bull through their junior program in 2013. Looking back, he reflected on his journey in an interview with Autosport.

He said, ” In the end, we all know it’s not always about performance. You need to have strong back-up. I didn’t have any manager, so I was in a way alone, fighting against all the big sharks in this paddock and trying to make my place. And I’m really happy I managed to do it without any manager and without paying for my seat.”

He further added, “It is not all about money. It is possible to do it without.”

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Gasly has spent almost 6 years on the F1 track and has good experience under his belt. Let’s see how this new venture with the French team goes for the Frenchman.