AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly would love to consistently break into the top five this upcoming season, but concedes that an excellent car will be necessary from his team.
The Frenchman scored point on 15 occasions last season, and comprehensively out-qualified rookie team-mate Yuki Tsunoda en route to a ninth-placed Drivers’ Championship finish.
He has thrived at the Red Bull junior team since he was dropped back into it following a torrid half-season with Red Bull, and has managed three podiums, one of which coming in the form of a famous race win at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix.
As such, suggestions have been made that he should have been given another shot this year instead of Sergio Perez, who ended last year fourth and, while influential in team-mate Max Verstappen’s title success, was unable to help the Milton Keynes outfit to the constructors’ title.
Hamilton would struggle at Haas or Williams
The 26-year-old has claimed that even Sir Lewis Hamilton, were he placed into the Williams or Haas last season, would struggle to get near the points.
“Unfortunately in our sport, the car makes the majority of the result,” he said.
“Even if Lewis is the best driver in F1 history, today, in a Williams or a Haas, he would finish last.
“It’s not even that he would be third or fifth, he would be 18th or 16th.”
The Rouen-born driver managed points in six of the last ten races in 2021 and also managed to out-race his Japanese partner 16 times.
“I will be trying to build on the run I had of very good results and to continue to be on top of my game with the car I have,” he added.
“I really hope that this is a year when I can fight at the very front, to finish regularly in the top five and even higher if the car is good enough for that.”
Alpine pipped AlphaTauri to fifth in the Constructors’ Championship last year, and Gasly has his sights set on breaking into the conversation at the top of the midfield.
“Last year we came very close to fifth place in the Constructors’ and it would be super to achieve that this year. It’s too early to say if that will be possible but I will always give it my best shot and get the most out of our car.”
The new season kicks off on 20 March in Bahrain following two pre-season tests in Barcelona and Sakhir.