Ex-Toro Rosso driver Jean-Eric Vergne has opened up about his time in Formula 1, say🦹ing he “was not smiling” during his three-year stint o🃏n the grid prior to his switch to Formula E.

Vergne rose through Red Bull’s junior ranks before landi𝓡ng a seat with Toro Rosso back in 2012, but was dropped after three seasons, initially to make way for the arrival of Max Verstappen.

Vergne had also been promised a move up to Red Bull’s senior team in the eventಞ of Sebastian Vettel’s departure, only for the team 💛to promote Daniil Kvyat for 2015 instead.

, Vergne explained how he never felt truly happy during 🔯his time in F1, admitting that comments about his negative demeanour were true.

“When I was young, I was energetic, I was winning a lot of races and ch🍒ampionships. I arrived inꦑ Red Bull, and the first year was very difficult,” Vergne said.

“I think my head was really big. I was thinking I was the king, I was going to kill everyone and beat everyone. Obviously the first year was really tough on me. People wer🤪e seeing me as a negative🅘 person, never happy - which I was actually - and it took me too long to understand that you should be smiling.

“I thin𒀰k for three years, I was not smiling, and then I got this thing of the French guy being moody, which I was.

“So then when I received the call, they told me goodbye, it was very difficult. ꧅I remember it was in the summer, I was with my family, and it was like a bomb coming on me, all your dreams coming away.”

Vergne moved into Formula E just thr♛ee weeks after his F1 exit, signing initially with Andretti before spending his second season with Virgin.

The Frenchman conceded it took him until his third year in the category – when he joined Tech🎐eetah – to find his feet and regain his confidence, before going on to become a two-time Formula E champion with the team.

“When I left F𓆉1, I had no more cash, no more money,” Vergne said. “I was stupid 🔯with my money, I spent it all, and I was not earning a lot of money. People think you’re a Formula 1 driver, it was not a lot, but I felt like I was a millionaire and I spent it all.

“I think it was a good time for me to reset everything in my lif🐲e. It took me at least two years to get back to normal. I wouldn’t say normal life, but normal mentality. My first two years of Formula E, I was really negative mood, and I think attracted a lot of bad things around.

“This is when eve🐻rything started to be good with me again. I lost all my confidence, but since no-one really expected anything from me, I was about to work with the team 𒈔really hard.”

Vergne claimed his maiden Formula E title with Techeetah in 2018 before becoming 🐈the series' fꦫirst multiple champion one year later, with the team also clinching its first championship.