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Jean-Eric Vergne: “They constantly told me ‘Eat this, sleep at this time"

18:20, 24 Jan 2020

byJoseph Tyrrell

Jean-Eric Vergne spent three seasons racing for Toro Rosso in F1, and the Frenchman has opened up on his time in the pinnacle of motorsport, admitting at times he felt like a robot.

Vergne raced alongside Daniel Ricciardo and Daniel Kvyat at Red Bull's junior team between 2012 and 2014 before he left the team and was replaced by Carlos Sainz. He has since gone on to claim the last two Formula E titles.

Everyone is aware of the intense lifestyle of an F1 driver but Vergne gave an insight into what it was like racing for Toro Rosso, explaining how he was told what to eat, when to sleep and when to smile.

“They constantly told me ‘Eat this, sleep at this time, play sports this much, say this, smile there, don’t joke,” Vergne told L’Equipe.

“It reminds me of being a robot. So when you get into the car, you are no longer happy about it, you don’t feel like yourself.

“And I like to have fun. I like what I do. Why should I behave differently if I don’t want to? But I am of course proud that I got to Formula 1.”

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1 Comments

Apex Zulu 25 January 2020 at 15:27+ 2267

I sense that there is slight resentment coming from a driver who was snubbed Off the Grid. Many have come before and many have yet to come and all have to conform to that mold. When you start winning and gaining followship then you can begin to break free of that mold ex: Hamilton, Verstappen, Ricardo.

But then again Vergne is entitled to his opinion because let's face it he's not a Formula 1 driver anymore.