Why Gasly needs more of Leclerc's steel

French as a first language is far more abundant among current continental-born Formula 1 drivers than it was a few years ago. Pierre Gasly, Romain Grosjean, Charles Leclerc and Esteban Ocon sit at different levels on the F1 pyramid and make up a fifth of the grid, and all are intriguing competitors with varied ambitions for 2020 - when the season eventually gets underway.

Leclerc is a proud Monegasque yet his career began on a kart track in the south of France, and the support he generates from French fans at Paul Ricard implies he is their adopted son. He carries the greatest potential of the group with his exploits at Ferrari last year setting him up to be a potential title challenger this season.

Twelve months ago, Leclerc was focused on matching and beating Sebastian Vettel, establishing a position within the team, creating an aura that encouraged the crew to support him. He ticked all the boxes, and proved he can win races when the car was right. The targets have been adjusted.

Testing is already history; Leclerc can only challenge for the title by maximising every race and making sure he's in the game from start to finish. When I spoke to him at Autosport International in January, he intimated that he needs to manage the energy drain of the season differently, largely to ensure a period of genuine rest and recuperation.

His objectives even then were more than a February lap record in Barcelona. Watching Leclerc deal with the expectation growing in his own head, and in those cheering him on, will be fascinating.

He's stepped up to each new level impressively; he won GP3 in 2016, graduated and won F2 the following year, had a superb debut F1 season for Sauber in 2018, then outqualified Vettel more often than not - and outscored him - last year.

A blade of steel shines within Leclerc, as he showed in 2019 in Bahrain when he ignored team orders to stay behind Vettel, and in Italy where he played his own game in qualifying. If Leclerc combines that steel with experience and maturity, he could well be a major title contender - if the car is good enough.

Meanwhile, his friend and former karting team-mate Gasly also enters the new season with a somewhat different approach. From being in one of those top teams potentially able to win races - as he was with Red Bull at the start of 2019 - he is now fighting in the feverish midfield with the renamed AlphaTauri outfit, to which he was demoted in August last year.

Gasly's target is to re-establish himself as a frontline driver who deserves another shot at a winning outfit. Team bosses will need to see more evidence of a steel similar to that which glints within Leclerc

Pierre is an engaging character, but one who went through the mill as Max Verstappen's team-mate, in a car not suited to his own driving style. He recovered well at Toro Rosso, and achieved a fully deserved podium finish in Brazil. Gasly's target is to re-establish himself as a frontline driver who deserves another shot at a winning outfit.

Team bosses will need to see more evidence of a steel similar to that which glints within Leclerc. An ability to step up performance as the pressure mounts rather than being waylaid under duress separates the greats from the regulars. Gasly did respond in the second half of last year but he needs a truly impressive season alongside Daniil Kvyat if he's to have any chance of being in a top team for 2021.

Steel is definitely present in Esteban Ocon. He has a friendly personality out of the car, but we have seen evidence of ruthlessness within it. Whether it's going wheel to wheel with former team-mate Sergio Perez, or fighting back to unlap himself from Verstappen and robbing Max of a potential win in Brazil in 2018, Ocon has an edge to him.

Sitting on the sidelines for a year may have sharpened that desire further. Now Ocon is back on the grid with Renault, a team desperate to make progress, and the French connection is a sturdy link. Daniel Ricciardo will be tested rigorously by his new team-mate but the Australian will be up for it. It's a driver pairing that could drive the team forward via a powerful internal rivalry, but there are always downsides to such a level of intensity within a tight-knit squad.

Intensity is something familiar to those working with Guenther Steiner at Haas, and Romain Grosjean is now going into his fifth season of racing for the American team. The French word for conundrum escapes me, but the term springs to mind when considering Grosjean's competitiveness.

On his good days, he's fast and flowing with excellent qualifying pace and good race consistency, but all too often he struggles with car balance, trips over fellow racers, and moans over the radio.

His experience is valuable, his 2013 season at Lotus had truly inspirational moments, but he carries baggage. The steel within may have turned a tad rusty. Grosjean's time in F1 could be drawing to a close unless he can spring some monumental surprises this year.

French-speaking European drivers have key parts to play in this year's campaign. Will they hit the peak, Magnifique! or crash through the floor, Zut Alors? Only time will tell.