"The guy is just a genius, in another league, the way he is thinking intellectually" - Pierre Gasly in awe of Michael Jordan after having dinner with him

Formula 1 star Pierre Gasly was in awe of Michael Jordan after having dinner with the Chicago Bulls legend earlier this week. Gasly and Jordan were in Florida for the inaugural Miami Grand Prix on Sunday.

In an interview with Charles Bradley of Motorsport.com, Gasly said that the dinner with Jordan lasted for about three hours. The Alpha Tauri star called it the best experience of his life, as he's a big fan of "His Airness" since he was a kid. He said:

"It was by far the best experience of my life. The most inspiring dinner I’ve ever had. Since a kid, I’ve always been inspired by this guy, his mentality and the success he's had in these years."

Jordan is not new to the sport of racing, as he owns the 23XI Racing team in NASCAR. He's also a huge fan of Formula 1. The Frenchman complimented Jordan for his intellect, saying:

"Everyone says you should never meet your idol, because you can only be disappointed, but this was the complete opposite. The guy is just a genius, in another league, the way he is thinking intellectually. I was very, very impressed."

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Michael Jordan is a big fan of Formula 1

Michael Jordan at the NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen

During the same interview, Gasly said that Jordan is a big fan of Formula 1. Gasly was very suprised with Jordan's knowledge of the sport. He even joked about Jordan having more knowledge about F1 than him, chiming in:

"I didn't know he was a massive F1 fan. He almost knows the sport better than I do! It was very impressive and great to discuss it with such a legend. It was a great dinner; I'll remember it all my life."

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Michael Jordan and Pierre Gasly make an interesting trade

Pierre Gasly (left) and Michael Jordan (Photo: @pierregasly/Instagram)

Pierre Gasly and Michael Jordan made an interesting trade after their dinner in Florida.

Gasly gave Jordan one of his Alpha Taure helmets, while he received a pair of signed Air Jordan shoes from the legend. The 26-year-old star will put the autographed shoes on his display cabinet. Gasly added:

"I gave him one of my helmets; he signed one of my Jordans. So that's going in my safe at home, my trophy cabinet. Exchanging with such a champion, you always learn so much about these guys and how they approach sports, success and failures."

Another interesting conversation between Gasly and Jordan was about NASCAR. Gasly is open about the possibility of joining NASCAR and has an open invitation from Jordan if he returns to the United States. The Frenchman said:

"It might happen; it might happen. We're probably going to meet up some other time. We made a great connection over dinner. He's a very special person, and we'll see how the relationship grows from there. I got another invite, when I'll be back in the US, so I'll clearly take it."