F1 Racer Pierre Gasly, H. Moser Brand Ambassador, Talks Time, Watches

(This article by Roberta Naas first appeared on Forbes.com.)

In the opening races of Formula 1 this year, several teams were, perhaps, considered underdogs. Among them: Alpine, rebranded in 2021 from Renault’s F1 team. The drivers may not have been as strong initially, but they were a solid choice. French racer Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon demonstrated speed, precision and determination in the early races, with Ocon even taking a place among the Top 10 in the Miami F1 earlier in the year.

However, following the Monaco Grand Prix race in late May, where Ocon had a first-lap collision with Gasly, things took a turn. Ocon was handed a five-place grid drop for the June 9 Canadian F1 race. There, Gasly made  his first appearance on the Top 10 lineup – coming in as number 9 and getting his first points for the team. Then, this past week, Gasly again hit the top 10, with the #9 spot in Barcelona and Ocon had the number 10 spot.

Gasly, who made his debut in F1 racing in 2017, has managed four podium finishes and the 2020 Italian Grand Prix victory in Monza. He is poised now to continue to rank throughout the year. The first brand-ambassador ever for Swiss watch company H. Moser & Cie, which has a separate partnership with BWT Alpine F1, Gasly recently talked about what time means to him and how racing influences everything he does.

Known for his keen fashion sense, Gasly was wearing not one but two H. Moser & Cie. watches during the interview. One in blue, one in pink: the colors of the livery.  The new Streamliner Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton Alpine watches had just been introduced by H. Moser in honor of its partnership with the BTW Alpine F1 team. Fully skeletonized, the watch is the epitome of precision engineering and timing. It naturally struck a chord with Gasly.

“Time is so important to me. My job is obviously to fight time. I’m chasing time every single time I get on the track. I’m always looking to shave time on a lap, to try to go faster and faster. And we’re not talking about a 10th of a second faster. I am happy if I can get two hundredths of a second faster. For me, it is all about milliseconds.  So, I guess you could say that I am obsessed with timing. So, watches are important, too.  And I love the light weight of the new Streamliners. They are about lightness and precision. Similar values for F1 racing. I am always chasing time, So it is a very unique sensation and that’s why I think these two worlds [watches and racing] really marry well together.”

Gasly spent quite a bit of time talking about his hectic daily schedule, his quest for faster racing times and his love of fashion and watches. “I’ve met real watch collectors and that’s why I can’t call myself a collector. I’ve seen incredible things when it comes to watches. That’s the great chance we have in Formula One. We meet people from everywhere around the globe and some of the most successful people in their industries. And literally I was mind-blown by some of the timepieces and some of the collections that I’ve seen. So, I’ll be much more humble and just say I’ve started to collect.”

Interestingly, Gasly was reticent to name other watch brands he has owned, but the gentle-natured Edouard Meylan, CEO of H. Moser, who was also present, helped Gasly out. He mentioned seeing Gasly wearing an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and a Cartier Tank, among others. It seems H. Moser is in good company here.

So, what draws Gasly to the H. Moser brand and the Streamliner skeletonized watch in particular?

“I love skeleton watches, for example. I love the lines and the whole visible mechanism that goes into the piece. I think I’m someone quite emotional about any timepiece that I’ve had so far. So, whether it’s from a design point of view, or a complexity point of view, it is mainly that emotional connection that I can relate to and I look for something that reminds me of  a great experience or emotion that I’ve had in my personal life. I also love the family aspect of this brand. I am family oriented and so are they. It is a great fit.”

With time playing such a vital role in Gasly’s life, I naturally asked him what the shortest moment of his life was. He reacted humbly.

“I feel like when I won that race in Monza in 2020. I was standing on top of the podium and it was so great, but as everyone was walking off the podium and out, I was about to walk out, too. And then I just thought, ‘This is it. I’ve been working all my life for this one moment.’ And as I was about to walk out, I just came back. I sat on the podium and decided I was going to stay there and take it all in and just process all the emotions and enjoy the moment. It was like few seconds, but  it was a few seconds that will stick with me forever because it was so intense. And so unique.”

What does he expect of the rest of this year’s F1 racing?  “It’s a very frustrating sport because it’s very dominated by the car that you drive. So sometimes you get the best car and you can win. In some other seasons you don’t get the best car and even if put your best performance in, you can’t win. Sometimes it means being satisfied with the 12th or 15^th spot. I can’t say what’s coming but I am putting in the hours to do my best.”