28/10/2020
NEWS STORY
AlphaTauri has announced that Pierre Gasly will continue with the team for the 2021 season.
The 24-year-old Frenchman first joined the Faenza-based outfit at the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix, before moving to Red Bull for the 2019 season.
Returning to AlphaTauri (Toro Rosso) after being dropped by Red Bull halfway through the season, Gasly went on to prove his capabilities, consistently qualifying and finishing consistently in the top 10.
He has maintained his strong form this season, taking a surprise win at Monza in the Italian Grand Prix.
Though tipped for a return to Red Bull should Alex Albon not close the gap to Max Verstappen, both Christian Horner and Helmut Marko have indicated that if the Thai driver fails to improve they will most likely look outside the Austrian team's driver pool.
"I'm extremely happy to continue with Scuderia AlphaTauri for another season!" said Pierre Gasly. "This year is going very well, and we are on track to have our most successful season in the team's history. I feel we have a very strong relationship, we have managed to take every opportunity that's come our way, the best one at the Italian Grand Prix.
"Winning my first Formula 1 race in Monza was a very special moment for me, and it was made extra sweet to deliver a second win in the team's history, so I'm very proud of that. I'll do my maximum to push the team and take all my responsibility to bring it as far forward as I can. I'm looking forward to next year's challenge and continuing with AlphaTauri both as a premium fashion brand and a racing team, to keep performing as much as I can to achieve even more success in the future."
"I'm delighted that Pierre will remain with us for the 2021 season," added team boss, Franz Tost. "He has been part of the Red Bull driver pool for many years and I hope he will remain in the Red Bull family for many seasons ahead. Since he came back to the team last year, he consistently showed extremely good performances achieving two podiums, with a second place in Brazil in 2019 and a win at the team's home race at this year's Italian Grand Prix.
"Pierre has proven to be highly competitive also thanks to his great race craft, extracting the car's potential at every race and giving valuable feedback to his engineers. He is mentally very strong, he is always motivated and when he sets a goal he gives it his all to achieve it. I'm looking forward to extending this cooperation and having a successful 2021 season together."
The identity of Gasly's teammate has yet to be revealed, and with Daniil Kvyat underperforming this year the Russian is likely to be dropped once again.
This would leave the seat open for Honda protege Yuki Tsunoda or Albon, should he be dropped by Red Bull.