Formula 1: Two-round, 10-team 2021 mock draft
By Asher Fair
Red Bull – Round 1, Pick 9 (Pick 9 overall): Pierre Gasly
Pierre Gasly very well may not be in Formula 1 right now if not for a career resurgence in the 2020 season after he was demoted from Red Bull to Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) following a disappointing start to the 2019 season, so much so that he ends up safely in the first round of this draft.
The 2020 season saw him secure a historic upset victory in the Italian Grand Prix at Autodromo Nazoinale Monza, becoming the first non-Mercedes, Red Bull or Ferrari driver to win since 2013, and his solid performances throughout the rest of the shortened season also played into him returning to the sport in 2021 and continuing to find success.
Mercedes – Round 1, Pick 10 (Pick 10 overall): Lance Stroll
Slowly but surely, Lance Stroll has played his way out of the “daddy’s money” talk with his impressive performances, including his first pole position for the Turkish Grand Prix at Intercity Istanbul Park last season.
The only knock on him is that he has only beaten a teammate in the driver standings one time in his first four seasons in Formula 1, although he hasn’t exactly had easy competition.
Despite the fact that the 2021 season is his fifth, he is also still only 22 years old. That youth, coupled with the fact that he is gaining plenty of experience, make him the final first-rounder in this draft, something that would have seemed like a foreign concept even just one year ago.