Pierre Gasly's five best Grands Prix in Formula 1

5. 2020 British GP: a great comeback

Pierre Gasly et Sebastian Vettel at Silverstone in 2020 (Photo Xavi Bonilla / DPPI)

This is probably the least obvious of the five, but Pierre Gasly he himself admits: “It’s one of the best races of my career. » For this fourth round of the 2020 season with the new AT01 from the Italian team, the Norman finished in 7th place at the checkered flag after starting from 11th on the grid.

“It was difficult but it was also very cool, and I had a lot of great battles with Vettel, Stroll et Giovinazzi, he explained after the race. I struggled to get close to Sebastian Vettel, but I had an opportunity to overtake and I knew I had to take it. It doesn't happen every day that you can exceed a Ferrari from the outside, so I really enjoyed that moment. I feel good in the car and we know where we need to improve, so hopefully we can take another step forward in the coming weeks. »

9th three laps from the goal after overtaking Lance Stroll, Gasly then took advantage of punctures Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) and Carlos Sainz (McLaren) at the end of the race to climb to 7th place.

4. Bahrain GP 2018: the first splash

Pierre Gasly finished fourth in Bahrain in 2018 (Photo Florent Gooden / DPPI)

After five races contested in 2017, Pierre Gasly is confirmed by Toro Rosso for the entire 2018 financial year. The Frenchman stood out from the second meeting of the season, in Bahrain. Fifth on the grid after a penalty imposed on Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), the Rouennais caused a sensation by finishing in fourth place with his modest car Italian. He scored his first points during this Grand Prix in F1 and especially the spirits. This is the Honda engine manufacturer's best result since its return to competition in 2015. 

A performance that came at just the right time for the driver, after a retirement that occurred two weeks earlier for the season opener in Australia. Under the spotlight of Sakhir, Pierre Gasly found himself at the forefront of F1 that night for the first time in his career. " I can not believe ! You did a fantastic job”, he told his team once they crossed the finish line.

3. Baku GP 2021: confirmation

Pierre Gaslly had resisted Charles Leclerc for the podium in Baku in 2021 (Photo Xavi Bonilla / DPPI)

In 2021, Pierre Gasly has become a recognized driver on the grid with his results. In Baku, during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Frenchman confirmed his new status as Grand Prix winner with a third podium in a third season in a row. In the streets of the Azeri capital, he put up a good fight against his friend and pole sitter Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) at the end of the race to climb onto the third step of the podium behind Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) and Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin). 

Fourth in qualifying the day before, this Azerbaijan Grand Prix was the symbol of a solid season for the Frenchman. With sixteen entries in the top 6 in qualifying in twenty-two races and fifteen finishes in the points, Pierre Gasly asserted himself in 2021 as one of the safe bets on the grid, all with a car that is neither a Mercedes , neither a Red Bull, nor a Ferrari, nor a McLaren.

ALSO READ > Retro F1 2021 – Confirmation: Pierre Gasly

2. 2019 Brazilian GP: the rebirth

First podium in Formula 1 for Pierre Gasly at the Brazilian GP (Photo Antonin Vincent / DPPI)

November 17, 2019 marked the first F1 podium in Pierre Gasly's career. Relegated to Toro Rosso after a complicated first half of the season at Red Bull, the Norman found the mental strength to bounce back despite his failure with the parent team.

Best of the others throughout the race, he took advantage of the various collisions that occurred in front of him (Leclerc/Vettel, Hamilton/Albon) to move up to second place. On the last lap, in the final climb towards the finish line, the Norman even held off Lewis Hamilton to take a superb second place. At Interlagos, he became the youngest Frenchman on the podium in a Formula 1 race that day, at 23 years old.

1. 2020 Italian GP: the consecration

Pierre Gasly enjoys his first victory in F1 (Photo DPPI)

What other race than the 2020 Italian Grand Prix could sit at the top of this ranking? September 6, 2020 will forever remain as the day when the Habs put an end to 24 years of French drought in the premier category of motorsport. Taking advantage of favorable and incredible racing circumstances, notably Mercedes' mix-up in a closed pit lane with Lewis Hamilton, Pierre Gasly inherited first place with 20 laps to go. It was then that on his AlphaTauri, the Norman had to resist his pursuer and main rival for victory in Italy, Carlos Sainz (McLaren).

The pressure from the Spaniard was increasingly strong until the final lap of the Temple of Speed, but it was indeed the native of Rouen who crossed the line in first position. For the first time since Olivier Panis in Monaco in 1996, a Frenchman won a Formula 1 Grand Prix. A historic moment to relive in video below.