Gasly heads to Hockenheim 'recharged' by World Cup joy

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A week off from racing and his national side's success in the soccer World Cup will combine to give Pierre Gasly an extra spring in his step heading into this weekend's German Grand Prix.

The French driver will be hoping it will boost him into breaking a pointless streak for Toro Rosso that extends all the way back to the Monaco Grand Prix in May.

After receiving a new-specification Honda engine in Canada, Gasly went through the 'triple-header' of races on consecutive weekends in France, Austria and Britain without a single top-ten finish.

But he is heading to Hockenheim on a high after Formula 1's weekend off coincided with the final of the World Cup tournament.

"It was really nice to have a rest," he said. "I went back to my home town in Rouen, and got to watch the World Cup Final with all of my friends while having a BBQ.

"I watched the game intensely, I was so stressed! It was almost as if I was playing or even about to start an F1 race!

"I'm super happy that we've put the second star on our jersey!," he said. "We went into town after to celebrate with all of the French fans, and seeing everyone singing in the streets just enjoying the moment was fantastic.

"It's the first time in my life I've seen so many people in my city, it's like the population doubled!

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"To be able to enjoy a weekend off with my friends and family after three weeks away was great, it gave me time to recharge before we go again for two more races in a row."

Although Gasly hasn't raced in a Formula 1 car at Hockenheim, he's no stranger o the circuit from junior formulae.

"I had my first Renault 2-litre race at Hockenheim, where I qualified second on the front row alongside Stoffel Vandoorne," he recalled.

"The last time I was there was in GP2 in 2016," he added. "I was having a good race but my fire extinguisher went off going down the straight and the cockpit filled with smoke.

"I was disqualified on safety grounds. It had been a really good race up until then."

Like most of the drivers taking part in this weekend's race, Gasly listed the stadium section as his favourite part of the modern Hockenheim circuit.

"The Hockenheim track has plenty of character with a lot of history behind it," he said. "It is very technical with not much in the way of straights and it's the most fun to drive.

"I'd like to go and see the old part, as I gather it was really impressive with the very long straights and the chicane before it turned back towards the pits."

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.