Pierre Gasly was not surprised by the news of Sergio Perez extending his contract with the Red bull F1 team for two more years.
Alpha Tauri’s Pierre Gasly is considering all options after Sergio Perez signed a two-year contract extension with the Red Bull F1 team. However, Gasly said that he was not surprised by the news.
The French driver was dropped by the Milton-Keynes team midway through the 2019 season and he has been trying to work his way up since. He has been racing for the Red Bull junior team Alpha Tauri and has shown improvement in his performance over the years.
He even won the race in the 2020 Italian Grand Prix proving that he has the potential to fight for wins in a competitive car.
Though about Perez’s new deal, Gasly thinks that it was the logical move for Red Bull. “It’s not like it was a surprise because I’m a very objective person and based on what they want from a second driver, Perez ticks all the boxes,” he said.
“He is doing an amazing season, he is performing very well this season: Fast, has some back-up financially, good experience and he is a good fit for the team. So it’s not like it was a surprise at all for me.”
However, the Frenchman agrees that this has made a major impact on his career. He is in talks with Red Bull’s advisor Helmut Marko about his future to find what is best for both Gasly and his current employer.
Also Read: Helmut Marko has grim message for Red Bull junior drivers after Sergio Perez’s contract extension
Pierre Gasly wants to fight at the front
Gasly believes that he demonstrated what he can do in a midfield team if the car is competitive. But he understands the position of the team and agrees with the fact that things need not stay the same.
For the time being, he is committed to the Alpha Tauri team even though they are lacking performance in comparison to last year.
Ahead of the race in Baku, where he finished on the podium last year, Gasly said, “This year is not as competitive as we would have liked. Not as competitive as last year, which is obviously not as exciting.”
“Last year we were qualifying P6, lining up I don’t know how many times next to Charles [Leclerc].
“It’s crazy in a year how things can change. On one side, Charles is fighting for the championship and we’re fighting barely to make it into the top ten. So it’s a more difficult time but also I like the challenge of trying to push the team forward.
“But personally, obviously, I have ambitions and my ambitions are more than just fighting for the top ten. That’s not what I work for every day. I want more than that, I want to fight at the front.”
Also Read: Kimi Raikkonen bossing Pierre Gasly in Alfa Romeo at 2019 Austrian Grand Prix
Beyond 2023 Gasly will consider all options
Furthermore, the 26-year-old clarified that his priority currently is to perform with his current team. Meanwhile, he will continue discussions with Marko about his future.
“Beyond 2023 I consider all options as I don’t have anything beyond that,” he confirmed.
“These are things we need to discuss with Helmut. Obviously, they want to keep me in the programme but we need to see how to make this work. It’s just normal conversations that are ongoing.”
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