F1 | Vergne tells his story: "In Red Bull I had to behave as they said, I was a sad robot"

Jean-Eric Vergne, the French driver who made a new life for himself in Formula E, winning the world championship twice after his experience in Formula 1 in 2014, has spoken again after being called into question during the week by Helmut Marko, Red Bull's talent scout, who closed all the doors on a possible return of the former Toro Rosso to the top four-wheel motor racing competition in the world. Asked by L'Equipe, Vergne wanted to tell a little about his experience in the three years spent in the Faenza stable owned by Mateschitz.

“They always told me “Eat this, sleep now, do this, train, respond like this, smile, don't joke” – Vergne said. I was like a robot, when I got into the car I wasn't happy, I wasn't myself. I want to have fun, and I like what I do, so why should I behave differently if that's not what I want? However, I am proud to have arrived in Formula 1. At the time, I thought I was the king, that I could manage everyone, but people thought I was too full of negativity, because I never smile, and actually it was like that, it took me a little to understand that you have to smile. During the summer break of 2014 they told me that I would no longer be part of the Red Bull program, I was with my family, it was like a bomb, because all my dreams were shattered. I also ran out of money, I was stupid, I hadn't made much in that period. People think Formula 1 is full of money, I considered myself a millionaire, and I spent it all very quickly. It took me two years to recover."