Gasley: The media can change your image and influence the public's perception of you

Pierre Gasly knows that the media is an important part of F1 and has the power to "hurt" the drivers.

Gasley's career in F1 is perhaps the best example of how a driver can be knocked down or supported by the media, and he's been through both.

In 2019, when Gasley was promoted from Toro Rosso to Toro Rosso, he was far from teammate Max Verstappen in terms of performance level, and was heavily criticized, the Frenchman was subsequently sent back to Toro Rosso, during the summer holidays with no confidence. In the years that followed, the situation was completely different, with Gasley now one of the top midfielders. He has been on the podium twice since returning to Toro Rosso and won the race for the first time at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix. Gasley scored 100 points for the first time in the 2021 season, ending the season with 110 points, receiving media accolades.

So, from experience, Gasley knows that the media has a lot of influence to influence how people think about drivers

He said: "Of course, in F1 we have a lot of relationships with the media, during the race weekend, also before and after the race. I guess it's part of the job. Of course, media are important because they can change your image, influence the public's perception of you, and how people evaluate you. They can do a lot of damage through disinformation, which, of course, is sometimes hard to accept. Sometimes the reporter treats me well, but sometimes that's not the case and the lies are spread, and of course, it's not good, but I think it's one of the things you have to deal with as a driver. ”

Once off the track, Gasley avoids reading any news and turns off the TV during breaks.

"I don't pay attention to what they do because when I'm at home, I spend my time on people and things that bring me joy, and then I want to have fun with people I really care about," he said. ”