French Formula 1 driver Pierre Gasly had an impressive 2021 season with AlphaTauri. Gasly has worked hard to completely reinvent his racing career and now seems to have outgrown the Red Bull Junior Team. He surpassed the factory-supported Alpine-Renault team and is only five points behind Daniel Ricciardo in the championship standings.
Is Gasly’s reinvention enough to convince a top team that he’s a contender for the championship?
Because of this, the Frenchman is the most underrated driver in Formula 1 and his future could include a chance at the Formula 1 World Championship.
We have traced @PierreGASLY’s path from the star of the junior categories to the #F1 race winner
Here’s the latest episode of Rise of the Rookie, presented by @Aramco
– Formula 1 (@ F1) November 25, 2021
Gasly entered Formula 1 at the end of the 2017 racing season as the reigning GP2 champion and member of the Red Bull Junior Program. In 2018, he had his first full season of competition with Torro Rosso, now called AlphaTauri, and he quickly impressed. Bahrain’s fourth place helped Gasly finish the season in 15th place in the championship standings.
Red Bull Racing became aware of this and promoted the French ace to the 2019 senior team to partner Max Verstappen after Daniel Ricciardo joined the Renault F1 Team. Gasly struggled to keep up with Verstappen’s pace and was lapped several times. During the summer break, Red Bull decided to demote Gasly, send him back to Torro Rosso and bring in Red Bull junior driver Alex Albon as a replacement.
Pierre Gasly from Scuderia AlphaTauri and France during practice prior to the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit on December 10, 2021 | Peter Fox / Getty Images
Getting demoted from a top F1 team can destroy a driver’s confidence and career. It’s a strong message from the team that they believe the driver can’t get the job done. It would have been easy for Gasly to disappear into F1 purgatory, but the Frenchman decided to completely reinvent himself and his racing career.
2020 was a breakthrough year for Gasly as he celebrated his maiden win at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza. This boosted his self-confidence and his championship standings and brought him to 10th place at the end of the year.
In 2021, the much-vaunted Yuki Tsunoda joined the AlphaTauri team. Gasly was on par with his teammate all season and seemed to be in a completely different league by comparison. A podium finish in Azerbaijan, along with strong placements throughout the season, drove Gasly to score 110 points and finish ninth in the championship. His best season so far, which was all the more impressive compared to his bleak 2019 season.
Pierre Gasly impresses against his teammate and a tough midfield group
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The very first thing any driver is compared to is their teammate. In 2021 that teammate is rookie Yuki Tsunoda, who stormed into Formula 1 as a challenger from Gasly. Gasly, unimpressed by the young rookie, promptly shaped the team’s authority this season. Gasly qualified Tsunoda in 21 of the season’s 22 races, beating the Japanese with 78 points.
Gasly also finished the season ahead of two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso and four-time champion Sebastian Vettel in the overall standings.
Gasly’s strong point this season is his qualifying pace. He has routinely put the AlphaTauri in a strong starting position, which gives him the best chance of collecting points and fighting for podium places. He has also taken on the role of team leader and helped bring the AlphaTauri roster to better results.
Gasly’s qualifying pace, his ability to get the most out of the car even when the team’s strategy lets him down, and his ability to take on the role of team leader and number one make him a compelling choice for any team.
Where could Pierre Gasly go and what could his future hold?
Pierre Gasly of France and Scuderia AlphaTauri prepare to start the grid at the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at the Yas Marina Circuit on December 12th, 2021 | Peter Fox / Getty Images
Given the success and progress he’s shown in 2020 and 2021, it’s a bit of a surprise that one of the big teams didn’t grab him for a racing seat. One explanation could be the contractual situations of the existing drivers. Another explanation could be that Gasly needs Red Bull’s blessings to move to greener pastures. If Red Bull believed Gasly was a future asset, they wouldn’t release him from his contract or sell that contract to another team.
Gasly has done more than enough in the past two racing seasons to warrant a ride with a top team. His best chance is to return to Red Bull as a team-mate from Verstappen. With Sergio Perez under contract for another year, that would mean a move wouldn’t be before 2023.
“All eight guys in front of me are the drivers of the four best designers. So it is important for me to show that if there is a vacancy, I should be the obvious choice. That’s what I’m trying to do. “
-Pierre Gasly, quoted by GPFans
There are three other options, but they depend on the actions of existing drivers. Possibility one: move to the Aston Martin F1 team. That would only happen if Sebastian Vettel retires or the team fires him because of his mediocre performance recently. Option two: move to McLaren as Lando Norris’ team-mate. If Daniel Ricciardo continues to struggle and underperform this could be the opening Gasly needs to take the place. Option three: replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes when he retires. Hamilton still has a two-year contract but he could leave the sport early if he wins his eighth title. It might also make strategic sense for Mercedes to hire Gasly, as their knowledge of the competing Honda engine could help Mercedes develop its own.
Regardless of the possible future of Pierre Gasly, he deserves a chance to drive with a top team. His determination to reinvent his career is remarkable and his current level of performance means he always has a chance of victory. 2022 will be a critical year for the Frenchman and if he can continue his form it could become Formula 1’s next hot property.
Related: Formula 1 racing driver Pierre Gasly recalls how his best friend crashed and died on the track: “I was completely broken”
