Pierre Gasly - or as I like to think of him - the last Jedi. For the last decade or more there has been an endless line of talented young drivers all coming off the Red Bull assembly line. Sometimes there were so many that even with 4 seats in F1 some talent had to be filtered out and never made the top level. Those heady days have unfortunately come to and end and Pierre Gasly really does represent the last of the dynasty. Red Bull have invested in younger talent and will come round again but for now its all on hold. Why have they let this happen you ask? Well to be honest they have so much young talent already in fruition that they don't need any new ones coming along. Verstappen and Ricciardo are very much here for the long term and they still have Carlos Sainz on the books who is perfectly capable of mixing it with both that pair. So where does Gasly come in? Well he is very much an emergency biscuit. IF Verstappen or Ricciardo jump ship to another team AND Sainz leaves Red Bull to head up Renault AND Gasly proves to have some pace then he will be very much in the main Red Bull seat. Lets not do Pierre down though as he really does have a lot of potential.
Gasly went from Renault Eurocup to WSR 3.5 to GP2/F2 and its fair to say he consistently competed at the front in all of them. His junior career though will be remembered mostly for his 3 year run without a win in any series. That is a stat and a half but quite unfair on Gasly. He was a regular podium finisher and was in the title run during many of these years. This run came to an end spectacularly when he powered his way to the F2 title against very strong competition in Antonio Giovanazzi. There wasn't room for him at Torro Rosso last year so he went out and drove in Super Formula. He might have won the title there too if not for the last race being cancelled. Interestingly the Japanese connection came in handy when Honda suddenly became Torro Rosso's engine supplier as he gained quite a fan base out there. Pierre hasn't always been the smartest though. He was set to come into Torro Rosso during the 2016 season but went to the media mouthing off about it which did not go down with Dark Helmut and was not given the drive. Thats ok, lesson learned right? No. Gasly nearly made the same mistake again in 2017 when he was set to come in which led to some series back tracking on Twitter. He did eventually get the nod though and has done a steady job in the races he was in. A new year, new engine supplier and a full season though should be the real test of him.
If I'm honest I don't rate Gasly that highly. Don't get me wrong he is talented and quick but I think he lacks the mental strength compared to the others round him. He also doesn't have the easy job of going up against Brendon Hartley. Hartley is an F1 rookie and therefore not a good measuring stick but yet unlike usual rookies he comes with a whole truck load of experience in so many different types of cars. Gasly also has the added issue of driving a Torro Rosso which is serving as a Red Bull guinea pig for the Honda engine. Testing looks positive so far but you have to think that a handful of points finishes would be a good season for Pierre.
So a good addition to the grid or a Gasly one? boom boom.
Gasly went from Renault Eurocup to WSR 3.5 to GP2/F2 and its fair to say he consistently competed at the front in all of them. His junior career though will be remembered mostly for his 3 year run without a win in any series. That is a stat and a half but quite unfair on Gasly. He was a regular podium finisher and was in the title run during many of these years. This run came to an end spectacularly when he powered his way to the F2 title against very strong competition in Antonio Giovanazzi. There wasn't room for him at Torro Rosso last year so he went out and drove in Super Formula. He might have won the title there too if not for the last race being cancelled. Interestingly the Japanese connection came in handy when Honda suddenly became Torro Rosso's engine supplier as he gained quite a fan base out there. Pierre hasn't always been the smartest though. He was set to come into Torro Rosso during the 2016 season but went to the media mouthing off about it which did not go down with Dark Helmut and was not given the drive. Thats ok, lesson learned right? No. Gasly nearly made the same mistake again in 2017 when he was set to come in which led to some series back tracking on Twitter. He did eventually get the nod though and has done a steady job in the races he was in. A new year, new engine supplier and a full season though should be the real test of him.
If I'm honest I don't rate Gasly that highly. Don't get me wrong he is talented and quick but I think he lacks the mental strength compared to the others round him. He also doesn't have the easy job of going up against Brendon Hartley. Hartley is an F1 rookie and therefore not a good measuring stick but yet unlike usual rookies he comes with a whole truck load of experience in so many different types of cars. Gasly also has the added issue of driving a Torro Rosso which is serving as a Red Bull guinea pig for the Honda engine. Testing looks positive so far but you have to think that a handful of points finishes would be a good season for Pierre.
So a good addition to the grid or a Gasly one? boom boom.
