Gasly sets out his goal of STR race-seat

Pierre Gasly says he won’t let rumours linking to him Daniil Kvyat’s Toro Rosso seat distract from his GP2 role, but he is hoping to step up into F1 next season.

The Red Bull backed racer is currently second in the GP2 standings, tied with Sergey Sirotkin on 113 points.

It is, however, the Russian driver who is holding down P1 due to a better number of third-placed finishes.

Should Gasly overhaul his rival, many believe that will guarantee him a Formula 1 race-seat with Toro Rosso.

And that, he says, is the target.

“For me the goal is clear: I want to be there next year in Formula 1, to get the Toro Rosso seat,” he told GPUpdate.net.

“I’m trying my best to get it, and at the moment I’m doing well, so it’s important to keep the lead, show Red Bull I’m ready and I’m going to push for that.”

Asked about the rumours that he would even replace Kvyat before the season is over, Gasly replied: “Honestly I don’t listen to it at all.

“Already to be here [in GP2] it takes so much energy and you need to focus on the important things.

“At the moment I’m in GP2 with Prema, and that’s what will make the difference for next year, so I need to put all my effort into it – after we’ll see what happens.

“If I get a phone call, I’m ready for everything, but I’m just focusing on my stuff.”