Pierre Gasly recently took a break from his racing commitments to celebrate the world of sport and fashion alongside some of Brazil’s biggest sporting icons. The Alpine driver attended a special Lacoste event in Sao Paulo ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix, sharing the spotlight with legendary athletes from different sporting backgrounds.
The gathering, hosted by Lacoste on November 3, brought together several prominent names, including three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten, former Brazil football captain Cafu, UFC star Charles Oliveira and Olympic volleyball champion Jacqueline Carvalho.
Other sporting personalities, including former MMA fighter Minotauro, swimmer Thiago Pereira and tennis player Fernando Meligeni, were also present.
Gasly, who became a Lacoste ambassador in April 2026, was one of the main attractions at the event. He also shared a special moment with Cafu, who interviewed him about his F1 journey. The two later exchanged football tricks, with Gasly showing off his skills with the ball.
Pierre Gasly Returns to the Track With Some Optimism
Gasly had just the one hour on Friday to get used to the track conditions at Interlagos. And despite not feeling completely comfortable with the car, Gasly remained optimistic about Alpine’s prospects for the rest of Sao Paulo GP weekend. He had sat out for Gabriele Mini in FP1 and finished 14th in FP2.
The Frenchman believes the FP2 leaderboard does not accurately reflect his performance or confidence inside the car. He was not entirely satisfied with the car’s performance but pointed to not getting a perfect run on the soft tire as one of the reasons behind his position on the timing sheet.
“I do not think the leaderboard in Free Practice 2 reflects how I am feeling inside the car after that session,” Gasly noted.
“While I am not completely happy with a few things, it was a bit messy our end on the Soft tire, and I locked up on my first push lap and then had to abort another, so there is definitely much more performance to quickly unlock and show. I am definitely feeling optimistic, especially as a tenth of a second makes up four places or so.”
Pierre Gasly Targets a Q3 Appearance at Interlagos
The 30-year-old is hoping for more pace from his car to reach into the top-10 qualifying shootout on Saturday at Interlagos.
“I have always enjoyed driving at this track, so I am looking forward to more Practice tomorrow ahead of qualifying, where we’ll give it our all to be in Q3 again,” Gasly said.
Pierre Gasly has an impressive track record at the Brazilian track, highlighted by two career podium finishes. He secured his very first F1 podium by finishing 2nd for Toro Rosso in a thrilling drag race to the line against seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
The Frenchman replicated the same pace, finishing third in a dramatic, rain-affected Sao Paulo GP alongside teammate Esteban Ocon, securing a double podium for Alpine in 2024.
The second day’s action in Brazil resumes with FP3 at 11:30 AM local time, followed by qualifying at 3 PM local time.
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