Pierre Gasly, a Formula 1 driver, recently ventured into the world of padel to broaden his horizons outside of the racetrack. The Alpine racer has formed 10Padel, a new Hexagon Cup squad, in collaboration with French financier Loic Fery, president of football team Lorient. Sports greats Andy Murray and Lionel Messi, who have also made investments in padel clubs, are following suit with this move.
Teams of professional padel players are split into male, female, and next-generation divisions for the coveted Hexagon Cup. The tournament’s second iteration is slated to happen in Madrid in January 2022. After participating in padel together at the Miami Grand Prix in May, Gasly and Fery made the decision to enter the sport.
“I’m thrilled and excited to take this first step into the padel world by creating our professional team, 10Padel,” Gasly stated. “I adore this sport because it embodies the same spirit of competition and intensity that motivates me on Formula 1 circuits. We see a special chance to assemble a team that is distinctive on and off the court with Loic.”
Eva Longoria, Rafael Nadal, Sergio Aguero, and Robert Lewandowski are among the outstanding team owners in the Hexagon Cup. Murray, a key actor in the emergence of padel, founded his team AD/vantage with former tennis player and coach Dani Vallverdu and businessman Arran Yentob. Lewandowski is in charge of the RL9 team, while Messi and former Argentina colleague Aguero co-own the Kru Padel by Taktika team.
Gasly’s foray into the padel industry demonstrates the sport’s rising appeal, which blends aspects of squash and tennis. The Frenchman said he was thrilled to have the chance to play in such a promising tournament and unite padel enthusiasts.
Gasly’s entry into padel shows his adaptability and love of sports outside of racing, even as he continues to dominate the Formula 1 circuits. Fans can anticipate witnessing Gasly and his side play against some of the biggest names in padel when the Hexagon Cup begins in January.
