Gasly delighted by his experience at the virtual 24 hours of Le Mans

Pierre Gasly took advantage of the confinement linked to the Covid-19 pandemic to participate in Esport events. Involved in particular in the virtual championship of the F1, the pilot Alpha Tauri was invited to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual on June 13 and 14 with the Veloce team which took 5th place in the general classification.

The 24-year-old Frenchman was delighted by his experience unlike anything he had experienced so far.

“I was amazed at how much I got caught up in the game, confessed the 2016 GP2 Series champion on an F1 podcast. It was only virtual, but everything felt real and I was really involved. The result was truly superb. I finished my last stint at 3:30 a.m., but I couldn't sleep until 5 a.m. because I continued to follow the race, checking if the car was okay. I ended up sleeping for three and a half hours, but when I woke up I was online in two seconds to check where we were. »

Pierre Gasly was all the more charmed by this event as he lived at Le Mans when he was integrated into the FFSA as a young driver.

“I have always been a big fan of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, he admitted. I lived there for 5 years, from 13 to 18, and I feel connected to this city. I attended the race many times, first as a simple spectator, then being in the paddock experiencing the race a little more from the inside. It’s such a special atmosphere. I was already really excited playing the race on my simulator from home, I can only imagine how incredible it must be in real life. I would love to race there one day, but at the moment I am 100% focused on F1. I would definitely be tempted to seize an opportunity if an opportunity presented itself under the right conditions. »

Pierre Gasly is currently preparing for the resumption of F1 with the Austrian GP which will kick off the 2020 season on July 5 at Red Bull Ring, in Spielberg.