JEAN-ERIC VERGNE is not your average racing driver.
For starters, he does not really like cars. And there is the fact he decided to live in West London and not the south of France.
Vergne is not afraid to branch out of motor racingCredit: Alamy Live News
And what about the luxury yachts, private jets and a lavish lifestyle? Well, that also goes out the window — and in its place a series of wise investments.
Vergne is now launching a revolutionary cannabis-based spirit — using CBD oil from marijuana plants — opening a restaurant in Dubai as well as investing in an esports team.
He said: “I don’t know if it is my generation. I love motorsport but I am not in love with cars.
“Some people think that is crazy. I could have a few cars in a garage that look very nice but there are other things you can do with money.
“I invest a lot. Not so much in property. I invest a lot in esports.
“I am also making a CBD spirit drink which has zero alcohol. I know that life in London is stressful — so we will launch it there in a few months.
“Alcohol suppresses the stress but for only a short time and then you go back to work and it is even worse.
“I wanted to create a drink that you can have socially and makes you talkative and acceptable but without the side effects of alcohol.
The story was that I was dumped from F1 but it is not what people think.”
JEV on F1
“I also have a restaurant in Dubai that I am launching, a cool restaurant that promises to be very diverse.”
Vergne — or JEV as he is more widely known — has a back story similar to many of his Formula E rivals who joined the championship in season one.
Like Sam Bird, Jerome d’Ambrosio, Daniel Abt, Lucas di Grassi and Sebastien Buemi, the door in Formula One slammed shut on them.
But for JEV, his ruthless axing by Red Bull was especially hard to take.
He stops short of explaining just how tough it was — but it is obvious it was a dark time for the 29-year-old, whose racing career has been rejuvenated following back-to-back championship wins.
He added: “The story was that I was dumped from F1 but it is not what people think.
“People think I am bitter about leaving Red Bull but I am not. I was, yes, but I am not any more because that is the reason I am what I am today.
“They were very harsh with me and it did not turn out the way we both wanted to. But I have turned out a lot stronger. Being in F1, it almost killed me.
Vergne is defending his the FE world title he won in 2018/19Credit: EPA
“I had some very difficult times afterwards for about two or three years.
“How low? I cannot really say, I don’t want to talk about it — but some things did not work out.
“As a driver coming out of F1 and joining this championship it’s been a blessing for me. It was not a gamble, I had no other choice.
“I would like to say I believed in the championship and I knew what I was doing but the truth is that I was lucky.
“I was lucky to find myself in the right place in the right time of my career. I believed in the championship after the first race — but before that I did not know much about it.”
JEV could be forgiven for resenting F1 but he has chilled out since he was ditched by Toro Rosso for Max Verstappen at the end of 2014.
The DS Techeetah driver said: “I still watch every F1 race.
“I miss driving the car but I don’t miss trying to fight for tenth place every weekend.
“I have to be honest, an F1 car is nicer to drive than a Formula E car. But I don’t miss the fact that only one team can win races.
“Some drivers are happy to finish fifth or eighth in F1 and that was my problem — I was very frustrated being in that position.
“Now I feel very good. I love the championship but I also love the team. They play a big part in it.
“When I joined them, they were the worst Formula E team, they had no sponsors. But we found some deals and now we are the best team in Formula E.
“We have been through hell, we have been through success, and that makes us indestructible today.”
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Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
