How leader Gasly blossomed in his ‘best F1 season so far’

Gasly was one of the standout F1 performers in 2021, taking a podium in Baku alongside several top six finishes. It propelled Gasly up to ninth in the drivers’ championship with 110 points, just five points behind McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo and well ahead of rookie team-mate Yuki Tsunoda (32).

The Frenchman has steadily blossomed with the Faenza outfit after being demoted by Red Bull halfway through 2019, culminating in his strongest campaign to date last year.

While 2021…