In a world championship characterized by the close duel between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, 2021 was also able to reserve surprises and confirmations among the drivers involved during the season. Among them, one of the most convincing was the Frenchman from AlphaTauri Pierre Gasly: fresh from the success obtained at Monza in 2020, the 25-year-old from Rouen finished the championship in 9th place in the drivers’ standings, touching the podium several times – won only in Azerbaijan, with a 3rd place – and fighting with direct rivals of medium-high range. A commitment that, moreover, earned the team from Faenza the 6th position in the constructors’ world championship.
In this way, Gasly has therefore confirmed himself as one of the most valid signatures of the entire Formula 1 panorama. However, the transalpine cannot yet be defined as a ‘great’ talent, thanks to some characteristics that still qualify him in the category of ‘good’ pilots. This, at least, according to the line of thought expressed by Damon Hill at the end of the Abu Dhabi GP. The former British driver, world champion in 1996, explained the reasons why Gasly still has to take some steps forward before being classified as a champion.
During his speech within the podcast F1 Nation, the British analyzed his philosophy in this regard: “People definitely thought Gasly was a top class rider this year – he has declared – except that he had a ‘really good’ talent. But the difference between the likes of him and the likes of Hamilton and Verstappen is that the latter are stellar. When they arrive, they leave everyone speechless. You can grow up to be a great driver, but you obviously need an opportunity. We do not forget – he added – that Mansell took years and years to become world champion. At the moment, there is a level on which to base ourselves to determine the qualities of a particular driver. There are those who are only surprisingly good, efficient, and fast: but to really discover the talent they really have you have to see them at work while they are struggling to manage a car with a damage in the front, or if they can support a battle like the one we have just seen in this championship, and if they are able to maintain this level for an entire season. I believe it is this is the difference between good drivers and champions “.
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