For Pierre Gasly, life doesn’t get much better. This week, the Formula 1 driver touched down in Miami, model girlfriend Kika on his arm, an impressive Alpine car underneath him.
The Frenchman, now 30 and at the peak of his powers, is outperforming all expectations this season, and currently sits a heady eighth in the drivers’ world championship, four-time champion Max Verstappen in his rearview mirror.
Away from the track, he is more settled than he’s ever been – a multimillionaire traveling the world on private jets – and it is in this very city that he recently bought a $5 million condo on the water. A look ahead, perhaps, at his life after racing.
So high is Gasly flying, then, that not even a six-hour delay to his journey could get him down as he spoke exclusively to the Daily Mail ahead of Round 4 of the 2026 F1 season.
‘It was a pretty long day, but I’m super excited for the race,’ he explains. ‘The energy in Miami is always very special, so it keeps you awake. We had a bit of a break, so happy to get back in.’
Perhaps it is that Miami energy that led to him splashing the cash on his yet-to-be-built $5m pad in the Jean-Georges Miami Tropic Residences.
Pierre Gasly arrives at the Japanese Grand Prix last month alongside girlfriend Kika Gomes
Kika is Gasly’s long-term partner, and they share a dog – Simba – who travels with them
Fellow drivers Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez have also recently splurged on new Miami homes, and the area continues to attract some of the most rich and famous clientele in the world.
‘I think it’s just such a unique place,’ Gasly says. ‘The first time I came to Miami was in 2017 – I came for holidays and already back then I really liked it. The city has a very unique energy. I quite like the life and the lifestyle that it brings to it.’
And girlfriend Kika, is she on board?
‘It’s a nice place, so she’s happy about it,’ he reveals. ‘Our dog Simba will be very pleased with it as well. I’m someone [that has been] moving my entire life, you know, I’ve been moving countries and trying to feel different types of cultures everywhere.
‘I have lived in Italy now [for] a couple of years, and I really like the Italian culture, the family values there. Miami has a different style of living – it offers different advantages and I can see myself enjoying it, definitely.’
For now, though, attention is firmly on his racing career, and the reported $12m-a-year contract he is on with Alpine, as one of the biggest stars in the sport.
Gasly poses with renderings of the Miami building in which he recently bought a $5m condo
Gasly’s Alpine has been fighting much nearer the front of the F1 grid than many expected
An unexpected month off due to the conflict in the Middle East has its pros and cons for Alpine, a team far outperforming its expectations.
On one hand, the break gives a hard-working team of mechanics and engineers time to further improve the car. On the other, it gives under-cooked rivals a chance to catch up.
‘I know the team’s been working really hard and actually bringing some good upgrades to the track, but you never know how much the other teams are doing,’ Gasly explains.
‘[I] try to get some information here and there, speaking with other drivers and I think it’s going to be interesting. I don’t expect the order to change massively.’
So what has Pierre himself been up to in this month-long break between Japan at the end of March, and now in South Florida?
‘I’ve had some good weeks of training,’ he says. ‘The off-season was very, very short this year. We finished very late and started early, so it was actually good to get some extra time and a bit more of a routine, I would say.
Gasly spoke to the Daily Mail shortly after touching down in the Sunshine State
‘There was a lot of marketing and requests from the team, the sponsors. I’m a big football fan so I went to two Champions League games… spent a lot of time watching football, actually, and just a bit of time with my family.
‘I managed to get back to France and go back to my family home, so stuff that you don’t really get to do during the year because it’s just so busy, always flying everywhere so it was actually pretty good.’
In previous years, Miami has been a mixed bag for Alpine, a team traditionally used to fighting in the back half of the grid.
Gasly missed out on points in 2025 and 2024, but 2023 brought an eighth-placed finish. This year, the team are looking even higher.
One factor that could play into Gasly’s hands, too, is the unpredictable weather, with storms forecast for raceday in the Sunshine State.
Gomes will be spending more time with Gasly in their Miami pad after it is ready in 2028
Gasly poses in Miami earlier this week, as he prepares for this weekend’s big race
‘I think in the rain, it always brings more unpredictability and the risk element is slightly higher,’ he explains. ‘I kind of like those conditions because I feel there is more to grab, more opportunities to do well.
‘My last podium, in Brazil, was under torrential rain, so I know it’s conditions where I can really get the best out of my car, and probably sometimes outperform what we would be doing in dry or normal conditions. If it rains, I don’t mind it.’
Whatever happens on track, you can guarantee that the action will be witnessed by millions around the world, such is the growth of the sport in the wake of Drive to Survive.
Every race sees A-listers in attendance, and some have even taken a bigger step and acquired ownership stakes in a team.
The French driver walks through the paddock in Australia with friend and rival George Russell
There was no space for Simba in Gasly’s case as he packed to head to a recent F1 race
Alpine is at the forefront of that, with the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Ryan Reynolds and Rory McIlroy all holding a minority share of the race team.
It is a big year, for Kelce, of course… and that begs the question: will Gasly be at the wedding of the year?
‘I don’t think so,’ he laughs. ‘I didn’t get an invite… and I think, honestly, there’s so many more people that should be there before I deserve my spot there.
‘No, I hope to see him at one of the races at some point! I can ask him some tips about [weddings], so I’m looking forward to that.’ Watch this space, Kika… your turn next?
