Red Bull’s Gasly to make ROC debut

New Red Bull driver Pierre Gasly will make his debut at next weekend’s Race of Champions in Mexico City as part of Team France.

Gasly impressed in his first full season in Formula 1 last year, scoring 29 points for Toro Rosso including a surprise fourth place in the Bahrain Grand Prix. His form earned him a promotion to Red Bull in 2019 in place of Renault-bound Daniel Ricciardo, and Gasly has now been confirmed as part of the Team France line-up at ROC Mexico alongside Loic Duval.

“It’s a big honor to be taking part in the Race of Champions for the first time,” Gasly said. “I’ve known about the event for many years, and I’m excited to see how it works first-hand at last. I know France has a rich tradition of driving success at the event so I’m looking forward to aiming for another strong performance in partnership with Loic in the ROC Nations Cup.

“Most of all I’m looking forward to hearing the noise of the Mexican crowds. I know the Foro Sol well from Formula 1 -- it’s a spectacular venue and we will all put on a great show for the fans.”

On top of the ROC Nations Cup on January 19, both Gasly and Duval will also take part in the individual Race of Champions on January 20, with the 2013 Le Mans winner looking forward to partnering one of F1’s up-and-coming talents.

“I’ve watched the Race of Champions for years, and I’ve always been hoping I’d get a chance to have a go for myself,” Duval said. “Now it’s happening for real, I can’t wait to take on all these great drivers from motorsport series all over the world – not least in the ROC Nations Cup for Team France alongside Pierre. The event looks like an amazing experience and I’m sure the atmosphere at the Foro Sol will be special. Roll on next weekend…”

Gasly joins fellow F1 driver Sebastian Vettel in competing at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez next weekend, with Vettel partnering Mick Schumacher for Team Germany.