Pierre Gasly

1. Who is Pierre Gasly?

Pierre Gasly is a French Formula 1 driver born February 7, 1996 in Rouen (France). Winner of the 2020 Italian Grand Prix, the Frenchman became the first French winner in the discipline since Olivier Panis in Monaco in 1996. The Normand currently rides for Alpine after spending almost 10 years in the Red Bull fold.

Pierre Gasly during the AlphaTauri end of year photo © Florent Gooden / DPPI

2. Pierre Gasly’s junior career

Accustomed to seeing his brothers racing from the age of two, Pierre Gasly obtained his first second-hand mini-kart at the age of eight and began karting on the Lucien Lebret circuit in Anneville-Ambourville. Third in his second race, at Aunay-les-Bois, he then took part in his first high-level competition with the French mini-kart Cup at Magny-Cours. In 2006, when he was licensed to ASK Rouen 76, he became Normandy champion among the juniors and also took fourth place in the Bridgestone Cup, a major karting competition in France.

The following year, which he played at ASK Rosny 93, he won the Normandy Trophy for juniors and finished sixth in the French championships, still in minimals. In 2008, among the cadets, he won the Bridgestone Cup and once again the Normandy Trophy. With these remarkable performances, he was detected by the French Motorsport Federation. Integrated into the 10-15 Program and the Auto Sport Academy, he finished in third place in the French championship and the World Cup in 2009. Then, in 2010, he was crowned champion of France, vice-champion of Europe when he was promoted to the French karting team. He also finished third in the Junior Monaco Kart Cup and fourth in the World Cup.

He moved to single-seaters in 2011, and, while he was the youngest driver in the category, took third place in a French F4 championship won by Matthieu Vaxiviere. The Norman also gleans four victories and two pole positions. This time, it's Red Bull which spots the young Frenchman and offers him an "option" contract. In Europe Formula Renault 2.0, while he was once again the youngest in the championship, he finished in second place in the general classification. His precocity was confirmed in 2013 in the Tech 1 Racing team as he became the youngest driver to win the title in this discipline. Lined up with Red Bull Junior Team with Carlos Sainz and Alex Lynn as teammates for 2014, Gasly is vice-champion and best beginner in Formula Renault 3.5 Series. The same year, he made his GP2 Series debut with EQ8 Catheram Racing, but did not score any points.

Pierre Gasly on victorious in Great Britain during his GP2 season ©Sebastian Roozendaal /DPPI

At DAMS in 2015, he scored four podiums in the GP2 Series and Red Bull offered him two days of testing in Formula 1, the first with Toro Rosso and the second with the parent team. He became reserve driver for the Austrian team at the Singapore Grand Prix. 2016 is the season of consecration for the Norman in the GP2 Series. Driving a single-seater from the Prema Powerteam team, he won the championship after an intense fight against Antonio Giovinazzi. However, the doors to Formula 1 did not open for the Frenchman. The latter then decides to go into exile in Japan, in Super Formula. With two victories in the Japanese championship, Gasly can claim the title by appearing at the last round at Suzuka. A typhoon nevertheless got the better of the race and the coronation went to the Japanese Hiraoki Ishiura by half a point. He also works temporarily in Formula E during the New York ePrix, replacing Sébastien Buemi.

3. Pierre Gasly’s Grand Prix (F1) journey

In difficulty since his demotion at Toro Rosso in favor of Max Verstappen, Daniil Kvyat was replaced in the Italian team by Pierre Gasly in September 2017 for the Malaysian and Japanese Grands Prix. On October 25, the Frenchman was announced as the starter until the end of the season. At the end of this exercise, Toro Rosso announces the tenure of Norman for the 2018 season alongside New Zealander Brendon Hartley. His start to the season was marked by a remarkable fourth place in Bahrain, scoring his first points in just his seventh Formula 1 Grand Prix.

His overall performances offered him a seat at Red Bull from 2019, after just one full season in the discipline, he who dreams of becoming world champion. His first half of the season was deemed unsatisfactory by the Austrian staff and, in the middle of the summer break, Gasly was demoted to Toro Rosso in favor of Thai Alex Albon. At the Belgian Grand Prix, he was marked by the fatal accident of his friend Anthoine Hubert in Formula 2.

Pierre Gasly during the German Grand Prix in 2019 with Red Bull © Jean Michel Le Meur / DPPI

Pierre Gasly bounced back at the end of the season by landing an unexpected podium in Brazil. Sixth, he took advantage of the collision between the two Ferraris and that between Lewis Hamilton and Albon to finish in second place, becoming, at 23 years and 9 months, the youngest Frenchman on a Formula 1 podium. Still in the he Italian team in 2020, renamed AlphaTauri, Gasly makes an even bigger impact.

At the Italian Grand Prix, for his team's national race and where she had achieved her only success in 2008 with Sebastian Vettel, the Rouennais won the first race of his career and the second in the history of his team. With this victory acquired in front of Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll, Gasly put an end to 24 years of drought for French motorsport in Formula 1. It is with this new status, that of Grand Prix winner, that the Frenchman began the 2021 season.

Pierre Gasly, victorious at the Monza Grand Prix in 2020 with AlphaTauri © Florent Gooden / DPPI

Associated with rookie Yuki Tsunoda, Pierre Gasly will confirm his full potential in 2021 by becoming the real boss of the Italian team. This time, no victory for Pierre Gasly, but maddening consistency at the wheel of a car that he manages to improve almost every weekend. For the first time in his career, he reached the 100 points mark and carved out a reputation as a sure bet on the grid. Author of a podium in Baku in front of his friend Charles Leclerc, he scored 77% of AlphaTauri's points in 2021.

The Norman Pierre Gasly especially impressed by entering the Top 6 sixteen times in qualifying in twenty-two races, and did not come far from beating Alpine alone in the fight for fourth place in the Manufacturers' standings. If he hoped to get Sergio Perez's seat at Red Bull in 2022 and thus have a second chance in Team A, the Norman must ultimately leave with AlphaTauri. However, the Italian team fell down the hierarchy after the introduction of the new technical regulations, and could only score 23 points over the entire season, their worst record in F1.

© Florent Gooden / DPPI

In 2023, he joined a manufacturer, Alpine, and reunites with his former karting rival Esteban Ocon. After a long and laborious adaptation, Pierre Gasly found his rhythm and settled into the French team. In the second part of the season, the Norman even managed to beat his teammate and scored a podium at Zandvoort, in addition to a Top 3 in the Sprint Race at Spa-Francorchamps. If his cohabitation with his compatriot – and rival – created a few sparks, the fire did not catch between the two drivers, who will remain teammates in 2024 with the intention of bringing back Alpine in the hierarchy.

4. AUTOhebdo's opinion on Pierre Gasly

Pierre Gasly proved that he was no longer just a driver rising to Formula 1, but a sure bet. Promising from his first season at Toro Rosso, the Frenchman was promoted to Red Bull after just one full year in the discipline. It was certainly probably too early for the Norman, stifled by the pressure of an Austrian staff obsessed with Max Verstappen.

The fear of seeing Pierre Gasly collapse appeared when he was fired militarily in the sister stable. This was not the case because the Rouennais demonstrated what wood he was made of by securing his first podium and his first victory in F1 with a mid-grid team, at best.

His increasingly consistent performances in the small Italian team opened the doors to a manufacturer, Alpine, a step forward in his career. The French team has not (yet) provided him with a competitive car capable of fighting for a victory, and Pierre Gasly is biding his time. There is no doubt that he will be there when the opportunity comes!

5. Learn more about Pierre Gasly

• Gasly wins at Monza and becomes the first French winner in F1 since 1!
• Retro F1 2023 – The best enemies: Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon
• Pierre Gasly ends the 2023 season badly in Abu Dhabi: “It was a bit of a butchery”
• Gasly on his collaboration with Ocon at Alpine : “I knew it wouldn’t be easy”