Gasly: "I was ready for F1 in 2016"

Pierre Gasly will be eying up a move to his big brother team Red Bull next season following Daniel Ricciardo's retirement. He is seemingly the most likely candidate, though there's still time yet. In his latest interview, he talks about his journey to F1 and suggests he was ready a year before his F1 debut.

The 22-year-old won GP2 back in 2016. At the time, he thought he was ready, but boss Helmut Marko didn't agree.

"I was ready for it, but the time to start was unfavourable for a number of reasons, which was a disappointment. At the same time, it motivated me. Going to the Japanese Super Formula was a big challenge, I really wanted to prove myself," Gasly told Auto Motor und Sport.

Gasly went on to talk about how he enjoyed his time driving in this formula. And it's no real surprise. He came second in the championship and then went on to race five times for Toro Rosso.

"I was suddenly ten thousand kilometres from my homeland. I did not understand the language and did not even know where to go after landing at the airport. The culture is completely different in Japan. But as an athlete, it was great. The cars in Super Formula produce a lot of downforce end that has prepared me well for Formula 1."

Gasly has produced some top results in his F1 car this season. These include the shock 4th place in Bahrain, and the top 6 finish last time out in Hungary. He hopes this helps him get his dream drive at Red Bull.

"Of course I always have Red Bull in my mind. I race in Formula 1, so I also want the title and victories. But I get that chance, I'm still young," Gasly added.