“It’s almost like a happy place, a comfortable place”: Pierre Gasly opens up about his relationship with Charles Leclerc

Alpine F1 driver Pierre Gasly opened up about the social life of an F1 driver and explained how his relationship with fellow competitor and best friend Charles Leclerc helps him cope with the adversities.

Gasly shed light on the life of a Formula 1 driver in the recent episode of F1's Beyond the Grid podcast, as he compared it to "being in a Hollywood movie". He explained that the glitz and glamor of the F1 world bring with it a unique set of challenges only fathomable by a fellow driver.

"It's a life which is difficult to explain and comment, many times I feel uncomfortable about saying the experiences that I get in my life because you'll sound arrogant, you'll sound like you brag about, showing off..." the Frenchman said on the podcast (33:00).

Gasly said he relishes his relationship with Charles Leclerc as he finds his 'happy place' in discussions with his childhood friend.

"That's why I really like this chat that I can have with Charles [Leclerc] because I know with Charles discussing about both our lives we won't judge each other... because we know what it's like and we just speak very openly about various things." Gasly explained

"And I know it's almost like a happy place or a comfortable place where you really feel you can open up. He'll understand, I'll understand him..."

Pierre Gasly and Charles Leclerc

Pierre Gasly and Charles Leclerc raced each other since their karting days and were teammates for Sodikart in the 2010 French Karting Championship. Their friendship flourished as they rose through the ranks in the junior racing categories before securing full-time F1 rides in 2018. The duo are currently in their sixth F1 season.

Gasly and Leclerc have been spotted together multiple times on vacations and in attendance for other sporting events. While being rivals on the track, they are evidently good friends off it.

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Pierre Gasly opens up about his love-hate relationship with Red Bull Racing

Former Red Bull Racing driver Pierre Gasly opened up about his love-hate relationship with his previous employers and how the deteriorating situation forced him to jump ship to Alpine.

The Frenchman had been a part of the Red Bull family since 2014 and was promoted to the senior team in his second F1 season in 2019. However, he lost his seat halfway through the season and drove for AlphaTauri for the next couple of years.

Gasly was never given a second opportunity at Red Bull despite securing a breakthrough victory and multiple podiums. In an interview with SKWEEK, the 27-year-old said (h/t TheSportsRush):

“I signed for 2023 with AlphaTauri and it was a bit like a love and hate story after the experience that I had with the main team, Red Bull Racing. I knew with the result I was putting, I deserved a chance to go back."

Pierre Gasly also mentioned that he enjoyed his decade-long journey with the team, and only felt less appreciated in the last six months with the team.