Vergne: “Red Bull was my biggest obstacle”

If Jean-Éric Vergne was thanked by Red Bull at the end of the 2014 season where he played for Toro Rosso, the Frenchman was able to bounce back by becoming a test pilot for the Team Ferrari and by evolving within the Formula e at DS Virgin Racing then Techeetah.

If his status as a Red Bull driver opened the doors to the F1, the 2010 champion of the F3 British suffered a backlash when the Red Bull landed it.

“It's quite funny because Red Bull was my biggest obstacle as I didn't have a manager when I left F1, explained Jean-Éric Vergne on Safeisfast.com. It's good when things work at Red Bull, but you have nowhere to go when things stop. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to escape. Red Bull brought me to F1, but they also stopped me from staying there. »

If Jean-Éric Vergne is no longer lined up at the start of the Grands Prix, he is nevertheless delighted to see F1 return to France with the Paul-Ricard (Var) planned for 2018.

“It’s fantastic to see the discipline return to Paul-Ricard, affirmed the French pilot. France has a rich history in motorsport and it is important to have an event here. The location in France doesn't really matter, whether it's Paul-Ricard or Magny-Cours (Nièvre), but this choice is probably better. The area is beautiful, it's close to town and the track is superb. I am sure that spectators will be delighted to go there. »

Jean-Éric Vergne is in 12th place in the Formula E Championship after taking 8th place at the Marrakech (Morocco) ePrix on November 12.