The Red Bull F1 junior in exile
After winning the GP2 title, Pierre Gasly had no immediate path into F1, so Red Bull packed him off to Japan to race in Super Formula. The transition is proving tough
After Stoffel Vandoorne, now Pierre Gasly. Red Bull's French protege has this year become the second successive GP2 champion to be sent to Japan for a season to race in the country's hugely competitive Super Formula series while he awaits an opening in Formula 1.
Just as Vandoorne did in 2016 at the behest of McLaren, which wasn't quite sure that it wanted to pension off Jenson Button yet, Gasly is experiencing a taste of a very different racing culture while he queues up behind the Red Bull/Toro Rosso quartet of Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo, Carlos Sainz Jr and Daniil Kvyat.
Share Or Save This Story
Marcus Simmons is the Deputy Editor of Autosport magazine. As a child he was a regular on the chalk banks of Thruxton – hence his unhealthy obsession with 1970s Formula 2 and F3 – before he became an MSA timekeeper at the age of 17. At 19, his reporting debut for Motoring News arguably overshadowed Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal as the sporting moment of June 1986, and he joined the staff in 1990 after graduating from his degree course in Plymouth. A parallel Formula First career – which was as incident-packed as his childhood exploits in show-jumping and hunter trials – finished when he wrote off his car and put himself in hospital in 1991.
Marcus moved to Autosport in the summer of 1996. Since then he has had two stints as a freelancer and a brief spell as editor of Motor Sport magazine, during which the revered green cover was revived, before he rejoined Autosport in 2008. He lives in Teddington with his wife (who, gratifyingly, grew up within earshot of Castle Combe), daughter, stepson, dog, cat and guitars, and additionally has an adult daughter and stepson.
More from Marcus Simmons
Why Turkington's desire for a record fifth BTCC crown can't be questioned
Sutton tops final BTCC pre-season test
Wheldon Jr hailed as big talent by team boss after winning debut
How Ingram is seeking to reclaim the BTCC crown from Sutton
Excelr8 driver Pearson beats big guns in latest BTCC test at Croft
The tin-top world champion seeking to tick a "missing box" in the BTCC
Thompson stakes claim for full-time BTCC seat with first BMW test
Hill tops first official BTCC test
Latest news
The plot twist that gave Arrow McLaren’s Ward his first IndyCar win as team principal
Formula E’s new Gen3 Evo car breaks cover
The weekly reality check that has kept MotoGP hype off of Acosta so far in 2024
F2 veteran Ghiotto to make IndyCar debut with Dale Coyne Racing at Barber
Autosport Plus
The F1 hero to zero dividing line that has never been so thin
How Stroll and Magnussen revealed the scale of F1’s racing and rules problems
Did F1's new sprint format work?
Chinese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2024
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.