Jean Eric Vergne opens up about F1 axing and how Formula E changed his life
JEAN-ERIC VERGNE says Formula E turned his life around after dropping out of F1 at the age of 23.
The Frenchman explains how he got his racing career back on track after being lonely and lost when Red Bull owned Toro Rosso ditched him in 2014.
When asked if it was toughest part of his life, he said: “Yes and no, at the time yes.
“I had no contract, also it was not like I was earning a lot of money at Red Bull for the position I was in.
“You go from an environment where everything is set out for you at Red Bull – going from everything to nothing.
“I did not know many people in the sport – I didn’t have my own manager, so you can't look for other teams or see what is going on because you’re at Red Bull.”
He added: “At the time I was living in England – but quite quickly it became impossible to live there.
“Then I left and lived at a friends place for two months, before I went to live back in England.”
Vergne is on the verge of being the first driver to win back-to-back FE titles this weekend in New York.
He said: “Formula E has absolutely [turned my life around], yes, absolutely.”
Most read in sport
After winning last time out in Bern, he said it would be a "no brainer" as the "biggest achievement” of his career if he were to retain his title in the Big Apple.
He said: “I forbid myself to think about the championship.
"I'm not thinking 'what if I win the championship [for] the second time in New York?'."
"Nothing is comfortable in Formula E.”
