Red Bull chief Helmut Marko agrees that Pierre Gasly would leave their programme if he isn’t offered a move above in the near future.
Pierre Gasly is among the most highly-rated young drivers on the grid. Because of his talent, he also got his move up to Red Bull in 2019, once Daniel Ricciardo left them.
But all of it came crumbling down when he was removed from his position in the team only after 12 races. Since then, Gasly has been competing for AlphaTauri (sister team of Red Bull).
But it’s a junior team, and Gasly, in 2021, admitted that he needs to grow in his career. Something Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko also realizes. He claims that Red Bull will lose him if Gasly is not given a move up by the end of his 2023 contract.
“Gerhard is right, but at the moment we still have a contract with Checo,” Marko said. “We have to compare the performance of these two drivers, and with Checo, we still have until the middle of the year.”
“With Gasly we still have a contract until 2023, and it’s already clear that if this contract expires and we can’t offer him a chance to move up, we will most likely lose him, and we don’t want that.”
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Compelling performances by Pierre Gasly might steal him away from Red Bull
Gasly in AlphaTauri has been overachieving. Despite the limitations of his car, he has managed to get three podiums ever since his return to AlphaTauri, including a win in Monza 2020.
Thus, he is undoubtedly an attractive prospect for every top team in the grid. In 2021, he was finished P9 in the standings, only a touch away from his predecessor at Red Bull Ricciardo, who had his first season with McLaren last year.
So, all the teams are aware he would turn into a trusted lieutenant, considering he is extracting massively out of little resources in his hand. But it only remains to be seen which team will come knocking at his door if Red Bull fails to keep him.
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