Pierre Gasly
Pierre Gasly is one of the more emotionally visible drivers on the current grid — someone who has been demoted from a top team, lost his closest friend in a racing accident, won a Grand Prix against all expectations, and become a genuine leader of the French driver community. He also really enjoys fashion and food.
Pierre Gasly's career has been defined by a traumatic event that had nothing to do with him. His close friend and fellow driver Anthoine Hubert died in a Formula 2 accident at Spa in August 2019, and the loss profoundly changed Gasly's relationship with racing and with life. He has spoken at length about the grief process, about the importance of mental health support for racing drivers, and about the way Hubert's death reframed his own priorities. His subsequent racing performances — including a stunning Formula 1 victory at Monza in 2020 — have carried an emotional weight unusual in the sport.
Away from the track, Gasly is among the more socially and culturally engaged drivers on the grid. He is based in Monaco but has maintained strong connections to his native Rouen in Normandy and to French culture more broadly. He is interested in fashion, has attended Paris Fashion Week, and has built a social media presence that reflects a wider range of interests than most racing drivers allow themselves to express publicly.
Gasly has also been candid about the psychological toll of being demoted from Red Bull's senior team to Toro Rosso in 2019 — a process he described as the most difficult period of his career. His subsequent rebuilding of confidence and form, culminating in that Monza victory and a strong subsequent career at Alpha Tauri and Alpine, has made him a figure of genuine respect in the paddock. Drivers who have experienced demotion and returned stronger are rare; Gasly is one of the clearest examples.
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Gasly won the 2020 Italian Grand Prix in extraordinary circumstances — driving for AlphaTauri (formerly Toro Rosso), a midfield team, after a chaotic race saw multiple retirements ahead of him. He crossed the line in tears. The victory came just over a year after he had been demoted from Red Bull Racing's senior team after a troubled first half of the 2019 season. The emotional arc of the story — demotion, grief, improbable victory — became one of the more compelling narratives of modern F1.
Gasly and Anthoine Hubert were close friends from their years in junior motorsport together. Hubert died from injuries sustained in a Formula 2 accident at Spa-Francorchamps in August 2019. Gasly was racing in F1 at the same circuit that weekend. His grief was public and profound, and he has spoken repeatedly about Hubert's absence and its influence on how he approaches racing and life. He wore tributes to Hubert on his helmet for years after.
Gasly's personal style is more considered than most F1 drivers' and he has spoken about fashion as genuine self-expression rather than just required brand partnerships. He has appeared at fashion events, collaborated with clothing brands on terms that reflect personal taste rather than just financial arrangements, and maintains an aesthetic identity outside the paddock.
Gasly has a genuine interest in French food and what it represents culturally. He has visited high-profile restaurants and spoken knowledgeably about French cuisine. Like Ocon, living abroad has reinforced his connection to French food culture, and he maintains it consciously as part of his identity.
Golf features in Gasly's recreational life alongside his training commitments. He plays in Monaco and internationally, and like many drivers finds that the mental focus required by golf provides a useful counterpoint to the pace and intensity of racing.
Despite living in Monaco during the F1 season, Gasly maintains strong ties to his family in Normandy and to France more broadly. He is vocal about French identity and has been involved in promoting French motorsport talent. His relationship with France as home, despite his Monaco base, is important to his sense of self.