Preview of F1 2021: Gasly must help AlphaTauri step into midfield

AlphaTauri is preparing for the second season under the new name. The AT02 was previously shown to the world with a new coat of paint. The biggest change to the car itself appears to be the nose, which the team tested last week at the Imola circuit. The goal for AlphaTauri now is to be able to join the fight in the middle bracket.

Points from Gasly

In 2020, this worked regularly, but the results were too changeable and mainly came from one driver: Gasly. The Frenchman managed to recover after half a season with Red Bull Racing in 2019 and in 2020 he drove a very solid season. In 10 of the 17 races, he scored points, which brought him to a total of 75. More than double that of now-former teammate Daniil Kvyat.

It is therefore not surprising that rumours quickly spread that Gasly might get another chance with the main team of Red Bull. Helmut Marko quickly quelled those rumours, however, and said Gasly should lead the team at AlphaTauri.

Not much later, Gasly was confirmed as one of two drivers at AlphaTauri with newcomer Yuki Tsunoda as a teammate. With 2020 behind it, AlphaTauri appears to have a very strong foundation for another strong season in Formula 1.

Gasly is ready for the leadership

It is now time for Gasly to stand up as a real team leader. He's older, wiser and gearing up for his fourth full season in F1. In this, he will not only have to take care of a lot of the points, but he will also have to support Tsunoda in his first year in the sport. Gasly seems to have regained his confidence after a bad period at Red Bull and the results show that.

It will not be up to the drivers at AlphaTauri in 2021. It is now up to the team to provide those drivers with the strongest possible car. If that succeeds, they should certainly be able to find the connection with the midfield in the coming season.

This article was written and originally published by Bonne on the Dutch edition of GPblog.com.