“I Couldn’t Come In Austin”: Victor Wembanyama Reveals to Pierre Gasly Why He Missed on US Grand Prix Despite Having Interest

“I Couldn’t Come In Austin”: Victor Wembanyama Reveals to Pierre Gasly Why He Missed on US Grand Prix Despite Having Interest

The French connection really worked out for Pierre Gasly as he got to meet San Antonio Spurs’ highly-rated rookie, Victor Wembanyama. Both Frenchman, Wembanyama and Gasly came face to face as they appeared on Episode 8 of ex-French Basketball Point-Guard, Tony Parker’s SKWEEK SHOW. While chatting away with Parker and Gasly, the 19-year-old PF was asked if he attended the recent US GP held at Austin. As it turns out, though he was excited to, he couldn’t really make it. 

“No, I couldn’t come in Austin,” revealed Wembanyama. That being said, the young Frenchman is an avid racing fan. During their conversation he also revealed that he had recently picked up his old hobby of go-karting again.

There was a pretty good reason behind Wembanyama missing out on the 2023 Austin GP. Like F1 drivers, NBA stars have a very hectic and tightly-packed schedule which was highlighted by Parker during their chat. 

But Gasly was more than a gracious host of the F1 paddock. He urged the young Basketball ace to grace the Austin paddock in 2024! Due to his travelling schedule, attached to F1, Gasly has become a regular visitor of the USA and NBA games. 

After Victor Wembanyama promise, Pierre Gasly is set to grace the USA again 

This year, the sport has already travelled to the United States of America twice. Once for the sophomore Miami GP and then again for the US GP held at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX. Naturally, with so much time spent in the States, drivers like Gasly and Charles Leclerc have had many opportunities to visit NBA games at their own leisure.

Now, the Alpine driver will be travelling to Las Vegas in two week’s time. The inaugural Las Vegas GP is right around the corner and the Frenchman along with the entire flying circus of F1 is gearing to light the iconic Vegas strip on fire. 

After investing a whopping $500,000,000 into the spectacle, Liberty Media’s venture to host a race at Las Vegas has already started paying dividends. The fans are eagerly waiting for race weekend, and the hype around the bespoke street circuit is massive. 

Gasly himself cannot wait to take to the track. He was quoted by Formula1.com as exclaiming, “That’s going to be insane,” when the race was first unveiled to him back in 2022. 

Post Edited By: Tanish Chachra
Alpine Las Vegas GP Pierre Gasly San Antonio Spurs Victor Wembanyama

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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