Pierre Gasly's future in F1 has been a topic of debate for multiple years now. The French driver was prematurely promoted by Red Bull and then unceremoniously dumped in 2019. Since then, Gasly has been a model of consistency and speed in AlphaTauri. The French driver has set out and achieved things that not many expected an AlphaTauri driver to achieve in the sport.
He won the Italian GP in 2020, has scored a podium here and there, and more often than not looked like a driver that belongs to the upper echelons of F1. Despite that, the French driver finds himself in a situation where his future is uncertain. There's no clear path of ascension for him, which must be frustrating for a driver of his caliber. His contract with AlphaTauri expires at the end of this season and in this piece, we take a look at the three possible directions Gasly's career can subsequently take.
#1 Pierre Gasly's return to Red Bull
At the moment, although this might seem out of reach, there is evidence to believe that Pierre Gasly's return to Red Bull could be possible. Meanwhile, Sergio Perez has been the perfect team player for Max Verstappen. The Mexican is not someone that challenges Verstappen in the races, taking points off him. More importantly, Perez has improved in every race and this season, the qualifying seems to have improved as well.
Having said all of that, right now, there is no denying that Gasly might just be a better caliber of a driver than Perez. The Frenchman showed that last season as well when he took the AlphaTauri and out-qualified Perez multiple times. To add to this, his dominance of Yuki Tsunoda and the consistency with which he does it every week has been surprising.
Perez is good, but he's starting to show signs this season that he's not at the level of a Carlos Sainz or any other potential No.2 driver that any front-running team might have. There might come a time this season when Red Bull does get frustrated at the lack of a higher ceiling for Perez, and at that time could they consider Gasly? It's hard to see why they won't, although the probability of such scenarios coming up is very, very low.
#2 Stick to Alpha Tauri
If Red Bull is not interested in promoting Pierre Gasly to the senior team then at the moment, sticking to AlphaTauri could be the best possible situation for the French driver. AlphaTauri is no slouch in the midfield. More often than not, the car is capable of being a consistent points scorer. It was this team that gave Gasly his first win in F1 and has been giving him the backing that was missing in his time at Red Bull.
For now, most of the top teams like Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, and even McLaren have hedged their bets on young talents and given them long-term deals. AlphaTauri, with its closer association with Red Bull than ever before, has grown to become a more capable contender in the midfield. With none of the top seats available anyway, Gasly could find himself investing even more time in the Italian team in the near future.
Looking at the landscape in F1, there is a decent probability of Pierre Gasly sticking around for another season at AlphaTauri.
#3 Move to Aston Martin and become a team leader
Now, this is what we feel could be the shock move of the season. Pierre Gasly's move to Red Bull has a very low probability of turning into reality. This is because Milton Keynes will not be looking to stir the pot and disturb an amicable partnership between Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen. Sticking to AlphaTauri for this long, however, is a deterrent to Gasly's career because it limits his earning as well as his championship-winning potential.
If there is a team, however, that is a diamond in the rough that could potentially transform itself into something big, then that is Aston Martin. The team is in the dumps in every literal way right now. The car is not good, the drivers are underperforming and there is a lack of direction that the team seems to have. What the team needs right now is a hungry, fast and ambitious driver. Gasly seems perfect for that role and with his contract ending this season, he can make the jump.
While the season is still new at the moment, it can't be discounted that Aston Martin will be looking at the changes it needs to make. Gasly, on the other hand, will surely be on the lookout for how he gets out of the Red Bull umbrella if the promotion to the senior team does not go ahead.
This will be a marriage made in heaven. For our predictions for Pierre Gasly, we see him replacing Sebastian Vettel and moving to Aston Martin next season.
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