Button: 'Formula 1 is a mental game'

Jenson Button has been impressed by the way Pierre Gasly has come back to form after Helmut Marko dismissed him from Red Bull Racing and forced him to take a seat in the AlphaTauri again. According to the former Formula 1 driver, the 25-year-old has shown that he is mentally strong.

"Formula 1 is a mental game," said Button on the High Performance Podcast. According to the Sky Sports analyst, it is very important for drivers in the premier class of motorsport that they also have everything sorted out mentally. "Pretty much every guy on the grid is super talented, it’s just if their head is in the right space [to perform]."

For Gasly, his career in Formula 1 so far has been one of highs and lows. After just over a full season at Toro Rosso, he was given the chance to show his talent alongside Max Verstappen. "He jumps in a Red Bull and gets annihilated in a Red Bull. Jumps back in the AlphaTauri, as it is now, and look at him."

Gasly mentally strong

Button praised Gasly's mindset. "He’s out-performing so many of these top drivers on the grid because his head is in the right place, and the people around him are helping him achieve because they’re putting him in that right headspace," said the former world champion.

Gasly has been particularly impressive in qualifying this season. The Frenchman is often found in the top-six, although the results on Sunday have been a little more disappointing in the first half of the season due to some bad luck. Gasly currently occupies eighth place in the championship with 50 points.