While confirmation of Pierre Gasly’s AlphaTauri stay for ඣ2021 Formula 1 season came a🐼s no surprise, the announcement was eye-catching for another reason - the silence over who his teammate will be. 

Gasly has been one of the stand-out drivers in F1 this year thanks to his stunning performances across the 2020 season, with a shock victory at Monza acting as one of tꦬhe Frenchman’s many highlights from the opening 12 rounds of the ജseason. 

Naturally, Gasly’s impressive form had led to suggestions that he could be in linꦇe for a return to Red Bull next season to replace Alex Albon, whose position at the team is the subject of increasing speculation after a run of inconsistent and underwhelming results compared to teammate Max Verstappen. 

While a return to Red Bull would have completed a feel-good redemption arc for Gasly having been demoted back to its sister team after 12 races in 2019, it was never on the caജrdꦏs. 

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner had made it clear that swapping Gasly and Albon back between the two ওteams “wouldn’t make sense” and all but ruled out the move following the pair’s contrasting Portuguese GPs, where Gasly charged to a superb fifth and Albon finished a disappointing 12th. 

Instead, Horner confirmed that Red Bull would look outside it's talent pool - at options including free agents Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez - should it decide to dispense✱ of Albon’s services for 2021, effectively making a continuation of the successful Gasly-AlphaTauri partnership a formality.

And so followed, just a matter of da🃏ys later, official confirmation of Gasly’s AlphaTauri stꦐay. 

"I'm extremely happy to continue with Scuderia AlphaTauri for anot💙her season," said Gasly.

"This year is 🌟going very well, and we are on track to have our most successful season in the team's history.

"I feel we have a very strong reℱlationship, we have managed to take every oppor🙈tunity that's come our way, the best one at the Italian Grand Prix.

"Winning my first Formula 1 race in Monza was a very special moment for me, and it was made extra sweet to deliver a second win in the team's history𓄧, so I'm very proud o𓆉f that.

"I'll🐻 do my maximum to push the team and take all my responsibility to bring it as far forward as I can.”

AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost added he was “delighted” that Gasly would be r🌱emaining at the Faenza outfit for another season and said he hoped the Frenchman woꦰuld remain part of the Red Bull family for years to come. 

"Since he came back to the team last year, he consistently showed extremely good performances achieving two podiums, with a second place in Brazil in 2019 an🌠d a win at the team's home race at this year's Italian Grand Prix," Tost exp🃏lained. 

"Pierre has proven 💜tꦦo be highly competitive also thanks to his great race craft, extracting the car's potential at every race and giving valuable feedback to his engineers.

"He is mentally very strong, he is always motivated and when he sets a goal he give🦄s it his ♍all to achieve it.

"I'm looking𝓀 forward to extending this cooperation an📖d having a successful 2021 season together."

But what was most telling about AlphaTauri’s announcement ahead of this weekend’🌠s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola was the fact ther෴e was no word on who Gasly’s teammate will be. 

It is looking increasingly like🐽ly that Daniil Kvyat will lose his seat at AlphaTauri and po🍸sition within the Red Bull driver pool for next season. 

The Russian has struggled to match Gasly’s level of performance so far during a disappointinಞg 2020 campaign, finishing no higher than seventh. He has managed just 18% of AlphaTauri’s points this year, scoring 14 compared to his teammate’s haul of 63.&nbsไp;

Prior to F1’s first-𝓰ever race at the Algarve Intern🐬ational Circuit, Kvyat acknowledged he is facing a difficult situation for 2021. 

“I haven’t got many ideas, so far, about it,” he said. “All I know is that the꧋re are six races remaining this season and I’ll do my best in the six races remaining and that’s the best thing I can do right now.

“I’m aware🐈 that the situation isn’t very easy. And, ♛of course, that there are not very many seats available. But from my side I can only do the best in these remaining races.”

With Kvyat expected to get the boot, Red Bull ha𝕴s a vacant seat to fill alongside Gasly. 

The frontrunner in the race to be Gasly’s new teammate is believed to be two-time Formula 2 race-winner 💃Yuki Tsuonda, who currently lie💟s third in the championship heading into the final two race weekends in Bahrain at the end of November. 

A brilliant rookie F2 campaign has thrown the Red Bull and Hoꦛnda-backed Japanese racer right into contention for a promotion to AlphaTauri next year. 

An appearance for Tsunoda in the Abu Dhabi you✤ng driver test at the end of the season has already been confirmed, as has a 300km test in a 2018 Toro Rosso car at Imola following this 🐲weekend’s race. 

AlphaTauri chief Tost has also indicated that Tsunoda is in line f🌺or a Friday practice outing with the team before the end of 2020 as the 20-year-old’s bid to earn a 2021 race seat gathers momentum. 

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko recently revealed that it was “planned” for Tsunoda to graduate to F1, a move which would also see Honda achieve one of its long-term ambitions of ▨fielding the first Japanese driver since 2014 before it pulls out of the sport at the end of 2021.

But a final decision appea﷽rs to hinge on what Red Bull decides to do with Albon. 

Should Red Bull wish to drop the Thai racer, it would be left with two options; lose a driver it rates highly altogether and risk tarnishing the reputation of its junior programme further, or put on hold the progr﷽ess of an up-and-coming star and miss the additional bonus of a marketing masterstroke before Honda leaves. 

Speaking to Sky F1 afte꧒r the Portuguese GP, Horner continued to publicly back Albon following his latest difficulಌt race, though he did infer that his driver would be performing better in the AlphaTauri car. 

"I think Alex in that [AlphaTauri] car would probably perform equal to how Pierre is at the moment,” he said. “We have so much information on these drivers and the characterist🌜ics of our car are very different.

"That's soℱmething that Alex in certain conditions is struggling with, as Pierre did 12 months ago. That's something we probably need to work o🍎n.

"Everybody is doing their very best to try and help Alex to find a setup, to find a balance he's got confidence with, because we all still believe in him𝐆. He's got great talent, he's only in his second year of F1, and everyone is rooting😼 for him to claim that seat.”

Red Bull might ultimately view a return to the less-pressured environment at AlphaTauri as being beneficial for Albon to helpꦇ him resto꧟re confidence in a similar manner to Gasly. 

This would also enable Red Bull to bring in a more competitive performer alongside Versta♔ppen in the short-term in order to achieve its aim of mounting a champi𓄧onship challenge to chief rivals Mercedes. 

Either way, it appears Kvyat is set to be left out in the cold w♚ith his F1 future hanging in the balance.