Gasly linked with Super Formula drive

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Pierre Gasly has been linked with a move to Super Formula after being overlooked for a Toro Rosso seat in 2017.

The Frenchman is in GP2 championship contention heading to the final race weekend in Abu Dhabi, trailing rookie Prema team-mate Antonio Giovinazzi by seven points. With Toro Rosso opting to retain Daniil Kvyat alongside Carlos Sainz for next season, Motorsport.com reports Red Bull is looking at the possibility of placing Gasly in Japan's Super Formula instead.

Stoffel Vandoorne raced in Super Formula this year ahead of stepping up to F1 next season, and Gasly sees the benefits of following in the Belgian's footsteps if he were to race in Japan in 2017.

“I think for sure it can be a really good challenge," Gasly told Motorsport.com. “I spoke quite a lot with Stoffel about it and he said: ‘Yeah, it’s a good experience.’ I think the cars are really competitive. The level is really high as well.

“It’s a completely different culture, but I would be up for it if we find a good deal with a good team. If we are sure we do it in good conditions, definitely, I think it would be positive to do it and also really good for experience.”

Gasly would not be allowed to remain in GP2 if he were to win the title this season, with former champions no longer permitted to race in the feeder series.

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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.