F1 driver spent lockdown in Dubai
DUBAI: Following the postponement of the season, Scuderia AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly found himself in lockdown in the United Arab Emirates with an important decision to make.
With travel restrictions swiftly implemented across the world these past couple of months, hundreds, if not thousands, of people have been left wondering when they would be able to return to where they call home.
For Scuderia AlphaTauri Formula One driver, Pierre Gasly, that time has finally come; the athlete is set to return to his home country following a two-month stay in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
Gasly, 24, had been in the emirate ahead of his team’s scheduled flight to Manama for the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, which was slated to take place, sans spectators, between 20-22 March. But following the announcement that the tournament was to be postponed until further notice, the Red Bull athlete found himself in a tricky situation – between trying to fly home with not many flight options, or remain in lockdown at his hotel on the Palm Jumeirah. Gasly opted to stay put in the UAE. So, just what has it been like for the Formula One rising star? Well, when you’re an international athlete, the hard work simply doesn’t stop.
“I [decided to] stay in Dubai for the last two months, because I have better facilities here in Dubai than back in France; I’ve [just] been training hard the last two months,” he says. “So that was the good thing; we’ve been really focused on our training since the first day we arrived. At that time of the year, we’re usually travelling every three days… Going to the airports, playing in different countries, in different time zones, and we usually feel quite tired and try [our best] to recover. Now, we’ve really had a lot of time to work, and try to improve physical conditions – even though I felt like I was ready for this season, I have gotten stronger.”
Staying at the FIVE Palm Jumeirah, Gasly recalls how staff did their best to accommodate him and his teammates’ needs during their stay. With public facilities, such as hotel gyms being closed, the hotel’s team created a special gymnasium in an empty apartment adjacent so he could continue training safely during isolation.
“We’d train six days a week – three days focusing on the cardio, and three days focusing on more gym-like exercises and strength work,” he explains. “The hotel gave us the apartment next door with treadmills, weights… everything we needed to train.”
As lockdown restrictions relaxed, Gasly was able to get some time on the track, receiving special permission to do some laps around the Dubai Autodrome.
“I managed to go to the karting track, so I had a couple of days doing karting, which is always good for practice, and also for fun!” With flights to selected destinations now being offered this month, Gasly is ready to return to France, before making his way to Italy where he is based.
“Next for me is to go back to France and see the family; after two months I’m missing them! And after that I’ll go back home to Italy, and yes, just keep on training!” he says. “We still have quite a bit of time before the first race, so we’ll just focus on more preparation, and hopefully we can start the season very soon, because I’m missing racing!
“I think it’s the first time in my life I’ve been waiting that long between two races. The last one was in Abu Dhabi in December, so I need competition, and I’m looking forward to getting back in the car.” While 2020 will be a year in remembrance of these sad unparallel circumstances, Gasley acknowledges that he has been in a fortunate position during these times, and is grateful that his lockdown experience has been a positive one.
“Honestly, I really enjoyed my time here over the last two months. I’m probably going to miss it when I leave, but I know I’ll come back to Dubai [soon], because I really like this place,” he concludes.