Pierre Gasly

Pierre Gasly – biography, career and results

Quick facts

Who is Pierre Gasly?

Pierre Gasly is a driver with Normandy roots who worked his way from French karting tracks to the Formula 1 grid, picking up championship titles in two different junior categories along the way. He arrived in the Red Bull program as reigning GP2 champion in 2016, and a year later did something remarkable: he fought for the Japanese Super Formula title and made his Formula 1 debut in the very same season.

His F1 career soon set him apart from the rest of the field: his win at Monza in 2020 made him the first French driver since 1996 to win a Formula 1 race. Since then he has become one of the grid's most reliable, consistently points-scoring drivers, and he has raced for Alpine since 2023.

What makes his profile especially interesting is his versatility: few current F1 drivers can say they've fought for podiums in a Japanese single-seater championship and once lined up on a Formula E grid.

The early years

Gasly grew up in Rouen in a family devoted to motorsport – racing had been part of the family since his grandparents' generation. He got his first taste of karting as a child, and started competing in 2006 at age ten, contesting the French Minime championship in his debut season before posting increasingly strong results in French age-group series through 2007 and 2008. One of his first major achievements came in 2010, when he finished second in the KF3 class of the CIK-FIA European Championship.

Junior career

Gasly moved into single-seaters in 2011, finishing third in the French F4 championship as one of the youngest drivers in the field. From there he moved to the Formula Renault Eurocup, where after a settling-in season in 2012 he won the title in 2013 with Tech 1 Racing, taking wins in Moscow, at the Hungaroring and at Le Castellet.

In 2014 he raced in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series (one of the forerunners of today's Formula 2) with Arden Motorsport, finishing runner-up to Carlos Sainz Jr. He then moved to the GP2 Series (the direct predecessor of today's Formula 2): eighth with DAMS in 2015, then champion with Prema Racing in 2016 – he sealed the title at the season finale in Abu Dhabi, where he himself finished only ninth while his teammate and main rival Antonio Giovinazzi crossed the line sixth.

The road to Formula 1

Gasly joined the Red Bull driver program in December 2013 and got his first taste of an F1 car at a test in Barcelona in May 2015. In September 2015 Red Bull named him official reserve driver, while his GP2 title campaign was still in full swing.

2017 was one of the busiest years of his career: fresh off his GP2 title, he signed with Team Mugen for the Japanese Super Formula championship, where he ran near the front all season. In mid-July of that same year he also made a one-off Formula E appearance, standing in for Sébastien Buemi at Renault e.dams for the New York City ePrix. Then, in late September, the call came from further up the Red Bull ladder: Toro Rosso dropped Daniil Kvyat for the Malaysian Grand Prix and put Gasly in the car – meaning that for part of 2017 he was competing in Formula 1 and Super Formula at once. He ultimately missed out on the Japanese title by half a point after the season-closing round was cancelled due to a typhoon.

Formula 1 career

Gasly began his F1 career at Toro Rosso, racing a full season with the team in 2018. For 2019 he was promoted to Red Bull Racing alongside Max Verstappen, but was sent back to the junior team – by then renamed AlphaTauri – midway through the season, after the Hungarian Grand Prix. He rediscovered his form at AlphaTauri: his first F1 podium came in 2019 with second place at the Brazilian Grand Prix, and in 2020 he took his first – and AlphaTauri's first-ever – Formula 1 win at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza. That made him the first French driver to win a Formula 1 race since Olivier Panis's victory at Monaco in 1996.

From 2023 he has driven for Alpine, taking over from Fernando Alonso alongside teammate Esteban Ocon – briefly giving the team an all-French driver line-up. He has added further podiums with Alpine, including at the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix and the 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix, and in 2026 signed a new long-term contract with the team running through 2028, making clear his future lies with Alpine.

Racing alongside Formula 1

The start of Gasly's F1 career was closely intertwined with Japan's Super Formula series: in 2017, the year of his Toro Rosso debut, he was simultaneously fighting for the Super Formula title with Team Mugen, ultimately missing out by just half a point. That same year, before his F1 debut, he also made a one-off Formula E start for Renault e.dams. Since then – given the demands of the modern Formula 1 calendar and his contractual commitments – he hasn't competed in any other major international championship.

Notable results outside Formula 1

Career timeline

• 2006 – begins competitive karting in France
• 2010 – 2nd in the KF3 class of the CIK-FIA European Championship
• 2011 – single-seater debut in French F4
• 2013 – Formula Renault Eurocup title with Tech 1 Racing
• 2014 – 2nd in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series
• 2016 – GP2 title with Prema Racing
• 2017 – Formula 1 debut with Toro Rosso while also in contention for the Super Formula title
• 2019 – short stint at Red Bull Racing, then return to AlphaTauri
• 2020 – first F1 win at the Italian Grand Prix (Monza)
• 2023 – moves to Alpine
• 2026 – contract extension with Alpine through 2028

Facts about Pierre Gasly's career

• He clinched the 2016 GP2 title despite finishing only ninth at the Abu Dhabi season finale – his points lead was already enough to seal the championship.
• In 2017 he was simultaneously an F1 rookie and a Super Formula title contender, ultimately missing out on the Japanese championship by half a point after the final round of the season was cancelled due to a typhoon.
• His 2020 Monza win made him the first French driver to win a Formula 1 race since Olivier Panis's 1996 victory in Monaco.
• His childhood best friend was French driver Anthoine Hubert, who died in a Formula 2 crash at Spa-Francorchamps in 2019; Gasly has paid tribute to him every year since during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend.
• For a season from 2023, he and Esteban Ocon formed an all-French driver pairing at Alpine.
• At the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix he initially lost his third-place finish to post-race penalties, then had it reinstated after Alpine's successful "right of review" appeal.

Frequently asked questions about Pierre Gasly's career

When did Pierre Gasly start racing?

He got his first taste of karting as a child and began competing in 2006, at age ten, in French age-group series.

What championship did Pierre Gasly win before Formula 1?

He won the Formula Renault Eurocup with Tech 1 Racing in 2013, then became GP2 Series champion with Prema Racing in 2016.

How did Pierre Gasly reach Formula 1?

As a member of the Red Bull junior program, he tested for the team from 2015 and worked as reserve driver before Toro Rosso gave him his F1 debut in 2017, right after he'd won the GP2 title.

Did Pierre Gasly race in other championships alongside Formula 1?

Yes: in 2017, the year of his F1 debut, he simultaneously competed in Japan's Super Formula (finishing runner-up in the championship) and made a one-off Formula E start.

Which teams has Pierre Gasly driven for in Formula 1?

Toro Rosso, Red Bull Racing, AlphaTauri, and Alpine since 2023.

When did Pierre Gasly get his first Formula 1 win?

In 2020, at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, driving for AlphaTauri.

Sources

• Wikipedia – Pierre Gasly
• Pierre Gasly's official website – About
• Wikipedia – 2013 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0
• NBC Sports – Gasly crowned GP2 Series champion in Abu Dhabi finale
• Wikipedia – 2017 Super Formula Championship
• FIA Formula E – GP2 champ Gasly replaces Buemi for New York
• Formula1.com – Gasly regains Monaco Grand Prix podium place after Alpine's Right of Review successful