Pierre Gasly heads into his fourth Grand Prix weekend hoping for a much more straightforward weekend at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace than he had last time out at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
Engine problems throughout practice and qualifying left Gasly on the back foot and at the back of the grid for the race in Mexico, and despite completing the race, he was unable to fulfil his full potential, finishing only thirteenth.
However, the Scuderia Toro Rosso driver is excited to experience his first Brazilian Grand Prix, particularly as it is the home venue of one of his idols of Formula 1 – Ayrton Senna – who was twice a victor at the track in 1991 and 1993.
“I’m so excited to be racing in Brazil this week!” said Gasly. “It will be my first time driving in Sao Paulo, it’s such a mythical track!
“It has so much history and it’s one of my favourites, even though I wasn’t born, one of my favourite races was when Ayrton Senna won in ’91. With Senna being one of my all-time idols, I really can’t wait to get there and discover this amazing track!”
Gasly feels unsettled weather could play into his hands this weekend, with the Frenchman believing the STR12 should be closer to the pace in wet conditions than it would be in the dry, which could open up opportunities for a first points finish of his Formula 1 career.
“The weather can be sometimes tricky and I remember many race weekends happening under rain, in terms of performance it will be better for us,” said Gasly.
“I really like wet conditions as well, so let’s see how it will be, I think the rain would be good for us to spice things up! If it rains, anything can happen!”
