Helmut Marko says that Red Bull gave both Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon enough chances before demoting them.
Pierre Gasly was demoted from the Red Bull team back to Toro Rosso now AlphaTauri halfway through the 2019 season. Gasly was constantly underperforming as compared to his teammate Max Verstappen. He was replaced by another driver from the Red Bull Academy, Alex Albon.
However, Albon could not hold up to his position for more than a season either. He was also sidelined and placed as the reserve driver for Red Bull.
This left one seat vacant for the Milton-Keynes-based team in 2021. Once again, Gasly was denied a position with the senior team. Going forward for the first time ever Red Bull picked a driver from outside their drivers’ programme.
Sergio Perez replaced the Thai driver and took a seat next to Max Verstappen in the 2021 season. Perez was constantly overshadowed by the Dutchman in 2021. But, the Mexican has been showing consistent performance in the 2022 season. Following this, he has signed a contract extending his stay until 2024.
#AMuS Pierre Gasly and Alexander Albon only survived twelve and 26 races respectively at Red Bull. Then they were demoted or sidelined. “For us, only performance counts,” says sports director Helmut Marko succinctly.
— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) June 16, 2022
As per reports, during their tenure with the Red Bull team, Gasly and Albon survived only 12 and 26 races respectively. Marko made a succinct comment on the same and said, “For us, only performance counts.”
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Pierre Gasly advised to leave Red Bull
Gasly’s contract with AlphaTauri is set to expire at the end of 2023 and he had hoped to move back up to the senior team to fight for the championship. However, with Perez’s contract extension that door has been closed.
While the Frenchman revealed that he is in talks with Marko to figure out things about his future, he has been advised to leave the Red Bull camp.
Former F1 driver turned TV broadcaster Johnny Herbert said, “I think he’s got to do what Daniel [Ricciardo] did – break away from [Red Bull].”
“At the present time, those choices have sort of shrunk a little bit.”
“The thing he’s got to try and do is, when that window of opportunity happens, he’s got to have that ability for AlphaTauri, Red Bull, whatever, to say ‘okay, if there’s an opportunity, we are allowing you to go’ because I think that’s so important for him as a racing driver.”
“You don’t want to be stuck in the same team, like AlphaTauri, as good a car as they supply him, for the rest of his career.
“We don’t want Red Bull to stop him blossoming in another team. But I think he’s got to have that ability of, when there is that occasion, allowing him to make that choice.”
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