Italian Grand Prix winner Pierre Gasly will continue to race for AlphaTauri in 2021, the Red Bull-owned Formula One team confirmed yesterday.
The announcement was expected and ended any lingering speculation that the 24-year-old Frenchman might return to the main Red Bull team alongside Dutch driver Max Verstappen. Gasly joined AlphaTauri, then known as Toro Rosso, in 2017 before moving to Red Bull in 2019. He returned halfway through that year in a straight swap with Thai racer Alexander Albon.
Albon’s position has become uncertain, with the youngster trailing Verstappen in the championship and Red Bull indicating they would look outside their pool of drivers for any replacement.
AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost said in a statement that he hoped Gasly would stay in the “Red Bull family” for many more seasons.
“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 said.
“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 team’s second seat, currently occupied by Russian Daniil Kvyat, remains undecided with Japanese Formula Two driver Yuki Tsunoda in the frame and due to test at Imola in Italy next week. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Christian Radnedge)
Emilia Romagna Grand Prix to take place
without spectators
This weekend’s Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix at Imola will be held behind closed doors due to the Covid-19 pandemic, organisers said yesterday.
Promoters had previously been given permission for more than 13,000 spectators a day but issued a statement on the circuit website.
“The government has banned our fans and we are very disappointed for that,” motorsport.com quoted Imola boss Uberto Selvatico Estense as saying.
Italy announced new measures on Sunday to try to halt a rapid resurgence in the coronavirus.
The race weekend, without Friday practice and condensed into two days from the usual three, will be the third race in Italy this season and 13th round of the championship.
Mercedes can secure a seventh successive constructors’ title on Sunday.
Imola last hosted a Formula One race in 2006, when it was designated the San Marino Grand Prix, but has been restored to a patched-up calendar after other races were cancelled due to the new coronavirus.
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