Gasly keeping his fingers crossed that F1 starts in France

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AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly dreams of the F1 season kicking off in France as scheduled, although uncertainty remains on the country's ability to hold its Grand Prix as early as the end of June.

This week's cancellation of the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal has set up Paul Ricard as the venue where the curtain could be raised on the disrupted 2020 season.

French Grand Prix director Eric Boullier is still pushing ahead with the race's organization despite no indication that France has stabilized the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and the country's enforced ban on public gatherings of 1000 or more people.

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Residing currently in Dubai where he's keeping himself out of harm's way, Gasly hopes the coast will be clear to race at Paul Ricard come June.

"I personally hope is that we start as early as possible," Gasly told French website Turbo.fr.

"To begin the season at the Castellet in front of the French fans would really be great. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this will happen.

"However, I don't want to get ahead of myself because the situation is evolving quite rapidly, but it would be a dream to kick off things at Paul Ricard."

So far, F1 has cancelled or postponed the first nine rounds of the F1 world championship. Like his colleagues, Gasly will miss racing this year at Monaco.

"It's one of my favourite tracks, especially for qualifying," he said. "It's a pity we won't be going there.
"There will be something missing, but the championship isn't based on a single race."

The consensus among the pundits is that a shortened 2020 season could prove to be a disadvantage for Lewis Hamilton. Does Gasly agree with that general opinion.

"You might want to ask him," he jokes. "I think Lewis has enough talent to win a seventh title.

"He is one of the most, if not the most talented driver in the history of F1. I wouldn't worry about him, although we should ask him what he thinks."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.