Pierre Gasly has quickly become one of the most underrated Formula 1 drivers on the grid. As one of the few drivers on the grid that didn’t come from money, Gasly worked his way to Formula 1 by himself. No billionaire father, no million-dollar sponsors, just talent and hard work.
Although he had a great start at Torro Rosso, he was quickly promoted to the main Red Bull team for the 2019 season. Gasly was then demoted back to Torro Rosso after just six months of driving for Red Bull. While this was disappointing for the French driver, he didn’t let it get him down as he went on to perform brilliantly for the rest of the season. His impressive run at AlphaTauri has convinced everyone in the paddock that Gasly is fit for the task. To learn more about this potential future World Champion, here are 10 fast facts about Pierre Gasly:
10 Left Home At Age 13
Pierre Gasly was born in Rouen, France in 1996. He was the youngest of his brothers and was heavily invested in motorsports from an early age. While some of his other brothers were interested in the sport, Pierre was the only one with the passion to make a career out of it.
His dedication to motorsport was evident as he started karting at the age of six. Gasly also grew up with other motorsport drivers like Anthoine Hubert, Charles LeClerc, and Esteban Ocon. His talent was obvious from the start, as he made the decision to leave home at the age of 13 to pursue his karting career.
9 Gasly's Father Was A Kart Racer
Although Gasly did not come from money, he did grow up with a father that did have some racing experience. Gasly’s father, Jean Jacques Gasly, was a racing driver that competed in a variety of motorsports.
This included karting, endurance racing, and even rallying. Gasly took to racing at an early age with his father and quickly developed a passion for motorsport. His father spent countless weekends with him at the track, feeding his drive all the way to Formula 1.
8 Gasly Doesn't Come From Money
Despite his father having a motorsport background, Gasly did not come from a super-wealthy family. This makes his rise to Formula 1 even more impressive, as many of his colleagues managed to buy and leverage their way into the sport.
Nicholas Latifi’s dad sponsor the Williams team for his seat, while other fathers, like Laurence Stroll, went all-out to purchase an entire team for his son to have a seat. Other drivers such as Alex Albon and Sergio Perez managed to secure lucrative endorsements to make them more attractive to Formula 1 teams.
7 He Won The GP2 Championship
Pierre Gasly worked his way from French F4 through to Formula Renault, Formula Renault 2.0, and then to the GP2 Championship. While many may not be familiar with the GP2 Championship, it was later rebranded to be Formula 2.
Having started his GP2 career in the middle of 2014, Gasly took a bit of time to get settled in. In the following season, he managed to secure 3 pole positions, 1 fastest lap award, and 4 podiums. It was then in the 2016 season that he went full throttle to clinch 4 wins, 5 poles, 4 fastest laps, and 9 podiums to win the Championship with Perma Racing.
6 He Lost An F1 Seat To Kvyat
Gasly was impressive long before he made his Formula 1 debut. After winning the 2016 Formula 2 season, he was destined to make the jump to Formula 1. However, things did not go exactly to plan.
While he was confident in moving to Formula 1, his seat was given to Daniil Kvyat at the last minute, which saw Gasly move to compete in Formula E and Super Formula in 2017. In Super Formula, he won two of the seven races, leading to him being given a permanent seat at Torro Rosso for the 2018 season.
5 He Quickly Moved To Red Bull
Pierre Gasly started the 2018 season well at Torro Rosso. However, in his 21 races for the team, he managed to score a respectable 29 points. While this may not sound amazing, it was a great achievement given the state of the car that year.
Due to the swift and unexpected departure of Daniel Ricciardo to Renault, Gasly found himself with a seat in the Red Bull team. This was far quicker than he had anticipated, but he grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
4 He Was Instrumental In AlphaTauri's Redesign
After Gasly’s historic win in Monza, many critics were screaming for him to make an emphatic return to Red Bull. With Alex Albon’s contract coming to an end, it seemed like it was bound to happen. However, Red Bull decided to go with Sergio Perez for 2021 and kept the Frenchman at AlphaTauri on a multi-year contract.
While this must have been disappointing for Gasly to hear, it also offered him the opportunity to be instrumental in the redesign of the F1 team from Torro Rosso to AlphaTauri. This redesign was to separate the new brand from Red Bull and make the team independently successful.
3 Historic Win In Monza
While many may have thought Gasly was done after not being able to keep up with Max at Red Bull, the French driver had other plans. Nothing showcased his intentions more than his historic win at Monza in 2020.
This was the year that he desperately needed a win, and out of nowhere, it appeared. When a safety car confused the leader, Lewis Hamilton, he entered the pits and earned himself a 10-second penalty. This left the gate wide open for Sainz and Gasly to fight for the win. Sainz put up a hell of a fight, but it was ultimately Gasly that took his maiden F1 victory.
2 He Was Considered For A Mercedes Seat
Gasly did not give up when he left Red Bull. Many critics around the world all agree that his performances for Torro Rosso and AlphaTauri have been significantly more impressive than anything he managed at Red Bull.
This success was so notable that Toto Wolff considered him for the second seat at Mercedes. As it was doubtful that Bottas would continue with the team, young drivers such as Russell, Norris, and Gasly were considered to replace the Fin.
1 Raced With The Best
Pierre Gasly came up at the same time as many other Formula 1 drivers. This includes the likes of Alex Albon, Charles LeClerc, and even Daniil Kvyat. While he may have had to wait an extra year to enter F1, he has made a name for himself against the best of the best along the way.
Having made his GP2 debut in Monza, it was almost poetic that he managed to clinch his first victory there as well. Despite Lewis Hamilton being out of the race due to his penalty, Gasly still had to fight the likes of Carlos Sainz in a much faster McLaren to clinch his first-ever victory.