Formula 1: Pierre Gasly in need of a strong Bahrain Grand Prix

After a slow start to the 2019 Formula 1 season, Pierre Gasly needs to have a strong showing in the season’s second race, the Bahrain Grand Prix.

As usual, five of the six Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, Scuderia Ferrari and Aston Martin Red Bull Racing drivers qualified in the top five for the 2019 Formula 1 season opener, the Australian Grand Prix.

But what is typically a top six sweep of the starting grid by these six drivers was no such thing in this race, as Red Bull Racing’s Pierre Gasly qualified in an abysmal 17th place for this race in his first race driving for the Milton Keynes-based team.

He qualified ahead of only McLaren’s Carlos Sainz Jr. in 18th place and ROKiT Williams Racing teammates George Russell and Robert Kubica, whose cars are well off the pace of even the top 18, in 19th and 20th, respectively.

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This poor qualifying effort was chalked up largely due to a poor qualifying strategy, as Red Bull Racing demonstrated their strength in their first race using Honda engines in the form of Max Verstappen qualifying in fourth place and going on to finish on the podium in third.

But Gasly was still unable to even finish the race in the top 10. The five drivers who started the race in the top five finished in the top five while Gasly ended up finishing back in 11th place, well out of the expected top six, and he failed to score any points as a result of it. In addition to finishing behind the other five Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull Racing drivers, he finished behind five drivers representing five of the seven non-Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull Racing teams.

Rich Energy Haas’ Kevin Magnussen, Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg, Alfa Romeo Racing’s Kimi Raikkonen, SportPesa Racing Point’s Lance Stroll and Scuderia Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat finished this race in sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th place, respectively.

Heading into the Bahrain Grand Prix and just one race into his tenure driving for Red Bull Racing, Gasly has already been faced with rumors regarding him potentially being replaced at some point throughout the 21-race 2019 season.

Fortunately for the 23-year-old Frenchman, he finished last year’s Bahrain Grand Prix in fourth place despite the fact that he drove for Scuderia Toro Rosso, the Red Bull Racing junior team. This fourth place finish made him the “best of the rest” in this race, and it was the highest finish by a driver driving for a Honda-powered team since Rubens Barrichello drove for Honda and finished in third in the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix.

But while five of the six Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull Racing drivers qualified for this 57-lap race 15-turn, 3.363-mile (5.412-kilometer) Bahrain International Circuit road course in Sakhir, Bahrain in the top five, Gasly, once again, was nowhere to be found anywhere near the top six.

Gasly qualified in a disappointing 13th place with seven drivers representing five of the seven non-Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull Racing teams separating him from the group of five drivers with whom he should be contending every race.

Haas teammates Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean qualified in sixth and eighth place, respectively, although Grosjean ended up being demoted to 11th due to a three-position grid penalty.

McLaren teammates Sainz Jr. and Lando Norris, a rookie, qualified in seventh and 10th place, respectively. Raikkonen, Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo and Scuderia Toro Rosso rookie Alexander Albon also qualified ahead of Gasly in ninth, 11th and 12th, respectively.

If Gasly does not at least finish the Bahrain Grand Prix in the top six, expect rumors about him potentially being replaced at some point in the 2019 season to really heat up.

While it is still very early in the season, Red Bull Racing would have no reason to hesitate when it comes to replacing Gasly if he continues to fail to perform at a high level, and a poor result in this race could spell more trouble for him down the road as well given the fact that he performed at such a high level in last year’s Bahrain Grand Prix driving for an inferior team.

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Will Pierre Gasly record the strong result he needs in the second race on the 2019 Formula 1 schedule, the Bahrain Grand Prix? Tune in to ESPN2 for the live broadcast of the race from Bahrain International Circuit later this morning at 11:00 a.m. ET to find out.

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