Pierre Gasly

Biography of F1 driver Pierre Gasly

Pierre Gasly appeared to have a predetermined path towards a career in motorsports, considering his family's rich history.

Born to Jean Jacques Gasly and mother Pascale, his grandfather was involved in karting, a passion he passed down to Pierre's father. Jean Jacques participated in karting, endurance racing, and rallying.

Pierre's initial experiences with karting took place at the local Anneville-Ambourville track. He shared his formative years with the late Anthoine Hubert, his companion in racing since the age of seven, and both attended the same private school.

Here is a comprehensive overview of Pierre Gasly.

Gasly's early career

Gasly initiated his competitive karting career at the age of 10 in 2006, securing the 15th position in the French Minime Championship in his debut year and then advancing to fourth the subsequent year. In 2009, he transitioned to the international stage and concluded 2010 as the runner-up in the CIK-FIA European Championship.

The year 2011 marked Gasly's shift to single-seaters, first participating in the French F4 Championship and subsequently moving on to the Formula Renault Eurocup. Commencing with R-ace GP, Gasly joined Tech 1 Racing in 2013 and clinched the championship title by outperforming Oliver Rowland in the championship battle.

Moving to the Formula Renault 3.5 Series in 2014, Gasly raced for Arden under the Red Bull Junior Team development program, securing the runner-up position in the season behind fellow Red Bull Junior Carlos Sainz.

Gasly made his debut in the GP2 Series in 2014 at Monza, stepping in for Tom Dillmann at Caterham Racing. Subsequently joining DAMS, he concluded his inaugural season in eighth place. Following a switch to Prema in 2016, where he teamed up with Antonio Giovinazzi, Gasly claimed the GP2 Series title that season.

Despite its brevity, Gasly also ventured into Formula E. In the 2017 New York ePrix, he replaced Sebastian Buemi due to his compatriot's commitments in the World Endurance Championship. Gasly secured a seventh-place finish in the opening race after qualifying 19th, and he narrowly missed a podium spot in the second race, brushing the wall in the final corner before crossing the line in fourth.

Formula 1 breakthrough

Gasly was named as reserve driver for Red Bull in September 2015, but he made his Formula 1 debut for sister team Toro Rosso at the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix, replacing Daniil Kvyat for a few races. He returned for the team in Mexico, partnering Brendon Hartley after the squad decided to drop Kvyat from the programme.

The Frenchman and Hartley were made the full-time driver pairing for the 2018 season. After failing to finish in Australia, Gasly qualified sixth in Bahrain but was promoted to fifth after Lewis Hamilton was handed a penalty. Gasly scored his first F1 points in the race, crossing the line fourth.

That joy was short-lived as Gasly crashed into Hartley at the following race in China in what the two called a "miscommunication". The Frenchman scored more points in Monaco, Hungary, Belgium and Mexico, ending the season with 29 points, a full 25 clear of Hartley.

Short-lived move to Red Bull

With Daniel Ricciardo moving to Renault, Gasly was promoted to the second Red Bull seat to partner Max Verstappen in 2019. The move proved difficult for the youngster, as he was consistently slower than his Dutch teammate and was even lapped at several races.

Gasly only managed to outqualify Verstappen in Canada, though that was in part due to a red flag. His best finish for the team came at the British Grand Prix, ending fourth after Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel were involved in a collision in front of him.

Team principal Christian Horner insisted Gasly would continue with the team for the remainder of the season, however he found himself down in sixth in the championship with 63 points. Meanwhile, Verstappen sat at 181 points with two wins and five podiums.

As a result, a change was made prior to the Belgian Grand Prix, with Gasly sent back to Toro Rosso and Alexander Albon making the move the other way.

The change seemed to revitalise Gasly, who went on to finish in the points five times. His best result came at the Brazilian Grand Prix when, after qualifying in seventh, he kept his nose clean in what was a chaotic race to finish second, keeping Lewis Hamilton at bay down the main straight on the last lap. It was his first podium finish and Toro Rosso's best result since the 2008 Italian Grand Prix.

Gasly finished the season seventh in the championship with 95 points.

Toro Rosso becomes AlphaTauri

Gasly remained with the team in 2020, however this time it was Toro Rosso that underwent a major change as the team rebranded and became AlphaTauri.

Partnered by Daniil Kvyat, the Frenchman secured four top 10 finishes over the course of the first seven races of the season. His best result over that time was a seventh place finish both in Austria and Silverstone.

The big talking point came at the Italian Grand Prix. Gasly started down in 10th, but an early pit-stop helped him to pass several drivers who had to wait for the pitlane to open during the Safety Car procedure. As a result, the Frenchman found himself in third.

However, he eventually moved up to first after Hamilton pitted for a stop-go penalty and Lance Stroll ran wide at the Roggia chicane.

A late charge from McLaren's Carlos Sainz wasn't enough to stop Gasly from taking his first F1 win in remarkable circumstances, becoming the 109th different winner and the first French driver to take the chequered flag since Olivier Panis back in 1996.

The result prompted speculation that Gasly might return to Red Bull, but the move never happened. Gasly finished the season in 10th place with 75 points.

Stepping up again in 2021

Gasly was joined by a new teammate at AlphaTauri in 2021 in the form of rookie Yuki Tsunoda. As such, the Frenchman took the role of team leader.

After putting in a strong performance in qualifying to line up fifth for the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, Gasly suffered damage in the race following contact with Daniel Ricciardo, and was forced to retire.

A steady run of points finishes followed over the next few events before Gasly secured his third career podium result at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, ending the eventful race in P3 behind Sergio Perez and Sebastian Vettel. Impressively, Gasly achieved this despite suffering with an engine problem.

In the same month, Gasly scored points at his home event, the French Grand Prix. By August, the AlphaTauri driver was hailing 2021 as his best ever start to a season since arriving in Formula 1.

The year was not entirely smooth sailing, with a crash putting Gasly out of the Sprint race during the Italian Grand Prix weekend, and he then recorded a DNF in Sunday's race.

Otherwise, Gasly continued to score points at most of the remaining races of the 2021 season, and ended the year with 110 points, putting him P9 in the World Championship.

He also scored the bulk of AlphaTauri's 142 points, which landed them sixth in the Constructors' Championship.

A turbulent final season with AlphaTauri in 2022

AlphaTauri retained Gasly and Tsunoda for the 2022 season, aiming for another competitive year with consistent points finishes. However, amidst the regulatory changes for 2022, the Italian team found it challenging to outperform their competitors.

Both Gasly and Tsunoda faced difficulties, resulting in a ninth-place finish in the Constructors' Championship. Gasly's notable achievement was a fifth-place finish at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, standing out as a rare highlight for the team grappling with an overweight car.

While Gasly outperformed his junior teammate, the extension of Sergio Perez's contract at the main Red Bull Racing team led the Frenchman to explore alternative opportunities.

Will Gasly's breakaway from Red Bull prove fruitful in 2023?

Having spent the entirety of his Formula 1 career under the Red Bull umbrella, Gasly is the latest driver to leave the stable and pursue a different path.

Joining Alpine for 2023, he will partner another driver from the Normandy region, Esteban Ocon, to form an all-French team.

The start of the season proves challenging with a heavy collision between the two teammates during the Australian Grand Prix. This results in substantial damage and a double DNF, essentially a disaster for the team. However, in the subsequent races, the team accumulates more points, with the French drivers earning approximately the same number of points by the end of the season. Gasly secures 62 points, and Ocon attains 58 points. In the Constructors' Championship, Alpine finds itself somewhat isolated in the midfield, holding the sixth position, with a significant point gap between Aston Martin above them and Williams below them.

The 2024 season started poorly for the French team, with a 17th and 18th place finish in the first Grand Prix in Bahrain. Improvements seemed slow to come, and the team spent a long time at the bottom of the standings. Additionally, tensions within the team between Gasly and Ocon escalated, sometimes resulting in crashes between the two drivers. However, towards the end of the season, both Alpine and Gasly found their form, and the Frenchman performed exceptionally well, scoring an impressive 42 points. This helped the team to finish sixth in the championship. 

How will Pierre Gasly perform this year now that Alpine seems to be back in form?