One year ago, it was September 6, 2020, Pierre Gasly won the Italian Grand Prix.
The Normand entered his name on the palmares of this legendary race and became the first Frenchman to win a race since Olivier Panis at the Monaco Grand Prix in… 1996. A few days away from returning to the asphalt of Monza, next weekend, Gasly celebrated this anniversary by extending his lease with his AlphaTauri team for a new season, until 2022.
“Consistency and stability are crucial at the dawn of a new era for F1, with the introduction of new regulations in 2022. The team believe that the current duo will be able to deliver good results, having already worked well together in 2021 ”, explains in a press release the Scuderia AlphaTauri which also announced the extension of the Japanese Yuki Tsunoda, 21 years old.
we've had some incredible memories so far, we can't wait to make more next year!
👊
- Scuderia AlphaTauri (@ AlphaTauriF1) September 7, 2021
The 2022 season should indeed be important for the more modest teams, like AlphaTauri, against the manufacturers Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren or Alpine, with the introduction of new single-seaters supposed to be closer in performance.
“Pierre achieved very good performances while assuming the role of leader of the team this season, obtaining a podium (
Editor's note: 3rd in Azerbaijan
) and placing himself in the top 10 of the drivers' classification (
8th
), continues the Italian team. As for Yuki, who became the first Japanese driver to score points in his first Formula 1 race (
9th in Bahrain at the end of March
), he took on this new challenge and continued his learning during his debut season. "
Arrived in F1 at the end of the 2017 season at Toro Rosso (the old identity of AlphaTauri), Gasly had a difficult stint at Red Bull during the first part of 2019. Demoted to Toro Rosso in mid-season, he has since then signed three podiums, including victory at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix. Performances that could have enabled him to join a more prestigious team in the offseason. But the French favored the choice of stability.
"I am very happy to be starting with Scuderia AlphaTauri for another season in Formula 1, especially after seeing the progress we have made as a team since my arrival in 2017," Gasly said in a statement. Considering the performances we have shown so far this season, I think there are great things to be achieved for the rest of this season and for next year, especially with the upcoming league changes in 2022. . "
