Photo: Scuderia AlphaTauri
According to Red Bull’s Helmut Marko, French F1 driver Pierre Gasly has no better alternative than to stay with AlphaTauri. Marko was quoted as stating this soon after Red Bull decided to extend Sergio Perez’s contract, in turn shutting the door for Gasly’s potential return.
Pierre Gasly’s deal with AlphaTauri runs through the end of the 2023 season, and he’s previously stated that this year would probably be his final chance to show that he belongs on a title-contending team such as Red Bull.
Since his return to AlphaTauri, Gasly has looked very impressive, scoring his first ever win in the 2020 Italian Grand Prix, as a follow up to his podium in Brazil the previous year, and a prequel to his other podium in Azerbaijan last year.
Unfortunately, with Perez staying at Red Bull until the end of the 2024 season, Gasly will either need to look elsewhere for a more competitive seat, or simply remain at AlphaTauri.
“Before the signing, of course, I spoke to Gasly, explained the situation to him and, yes, we’ll just have to see what happens with Gasly after ‘23,” said Marko in an interview with Motorsport.
When asked whether Red Bull would be willing to let Gasly out of his contract earlier, Marko added: “What would be the alternative? I don’t think there is any alternative for him at the moment that would be significantly better than AlphaTauri.”
He then said that it’s very likely that AlphaTauri would retain both Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda for next year.
Now, while Marko’s comments are perfectly understandable, the driver market in F1 can always fluctuate. Will Fernando Alonso stay with Alpine/in Formula 1 after this season? Will Daniel Ricciardo remain a McLaren driver long term?
Both Alpine and McLaren represent better alternatives for Gasly, when compared to AlphaTauri. However, for the moment, Marko is probably right.
Since his return to AlphaTauri, Gasly has looked very impressive, scoring his first ever win in the 2020 Italian Grand Prix, as a follow up to his podium in Brazil the previous year, and a prequel to his other podium in Azerbaijan last year.
Unfortunately, with Perez staying at Red Bull until the end of the 2024 season, Gasly will either need to look elsewhere for a more competitive seat, or simply remain at AlphaTauri.
“Before the signing, of course, I spoke to Gasly, explained the situation to him and, yes, we’ll just have to see what happens with Gasly after ‘23,” said Marko in an interview with Motorsport.
When asked whether Red Bull would be willing to let Gasly out of his contract earlier, Marko added: “What would be the alternative? I don’t think there is any alternative for him at the moment that would be significantly better than AlphaTauri.”
He then said that it’s very likely that AlphaTauri would retain both Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda for next year.
Now, while Marko’s comments are perfectly understandable, the driver market in F1 can always fluctuate. Will Fernando Alonso stay with Alpine/in Formula 1 after this season? Will Daniel Ricciardo remain a McLaren driver long term?
Both Alpine and McLaren represent better alternatives for Gasly, when compared to AlphaTauri. However, for the moment, Marko is probably right.
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