Pierre Gasly had a brief taste of the big time at Red Bull Racing in 2018, but halfway through the season he was transferred back to the Toro Rosso, now called AlphaTauri. It was a big blow for the Frenchman and his image was also dented. Yet Gasly is not afraid that he won't get a chance at a top team again.
Magnussen and Perez not as examples
Something like this happened to Kevin Magnussen in Formula 1. He was debuted for top team McLaren-Mercedes in 2014, but was not deemed good enough after finishing 11th in the world championship. The Dane was fired and had to watch from the sidelines the following year. In 2016 he signed a contract with Renault, but Magnussen always continued to drive around in the midfield or towards the back of the field.
For Sergio Perez, that scenario was also apparent. He joined McLaren-Mercedes in 2013 after two good seasons for Sauber. However, he was shown the door after one year and drove for Force India/Racing Point until 2020. An opportunity at a top team didn't seem likely to appear for Perez, but eventually Red Bull offered a solution.
Gasly believes opportunity will come
Perez hopes he won't have to wait for much longer for another chance at a team that will enable him to compete for the race victories on a regular basis. Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull Racing seem to have a stable lineup in place, even heading into 2023. Gasly is not worried that a new opportunity will not come, however: "No, because the market will change. The contracts of many drivers expire in 2023. Opportunities will arise. In Formula 1, everything goes very fast. I'm not too worried. There will be opportunities. I know that." Moreover, the batting order in the premier class of motorsport is potentially going to be very different because of the rule changes that will come into effect next year.
Currently, Gasly's contract at the Red Bull group runs until 2023, which he confirmed to Auto, Motor und Sport. "The contract runs until 2023. At the moment the plan is a seat in 2024. We will see. As I said, the situation in Formula 1 is changing rapidly. I don't know what Red Bull is planning with me. Whether they want to continue or release me earlier. We'll talk about that later."
What exactly Gasly means by "the plan" is not entirely clear. He seems to be referring to capturing a seat at a top team, potentially Red Bull themselves.
Gasly won't be replacing Checo at Redbull. The main reason is Gasly won't be the blocker Pérez is for Max. Gasly has ambition and wants to win races,and he can he has shown that. Gasly is smart 2023 is around the corner and he is saying this to put himself on the market, smart lad .
Don't start please. Perez helped Max just once and everyone is like this? Bottas helped Lewis way more but everyone keeps ignoring all of that somehow. Every driver has the ambition to win races. I really have no idea what RB wants with Gasly but in my opinion he could have had a chance in the RB this year. I think he got into the RB too soon in his career in a car that was pretty difficult to drive. He got into a downward spiral as shown in Drive to Survive and no matter what RB tried to help him, he couldn't get out of it. The RB this year was much more stable so I would have loved to see what potential he would have had in it. Would be a shame for RB if he left but a win for another team.
Please.dont start denying the mandate Pérez admitted by Redbull to.asssit Max to.win the championship, this mandate involved blocking . The reason we speak about the blocking because it was blatant and on a level of unsportsmanlike behavior we have not seen in F1 before The fact that the blocking happened on the season finale is why the world noticed. Gasly is the driver speaking about, and he has the ambition to win , He was never given the opportunity to grow into the car and his mid season axing was disrespectful to him and left him emotionally in a bad place . The guy has come back all guns blazing and won't be bullied like he was previously, . He does not want to be a blocker but wants to race Max , and that's not gonna happen right now. Every driver that has done that against Max is.no longer with Redbull. The fact Gasly is speaking publicly, is forcing teams to take notice and I am sure he will be approached by another team in due course he does deserve the opportunity.
[offtopic] I noticed the blocking of Bottas during those pit stops, and more did as well. It was just as unsportsmanlike as you think Perez did, no matter if it's the last round of the season or not. If you say Perez was wrong, Bottas was wrong as well, no difference, he was as well ordered to do so[/offtopic] But have you seen drive to survive? I thought as well RB was a bit harsh in putting him back to TR so quickly. However, after seeing drive to survive it became all clear it was unavoidable. They gave him so many chances, helped him every way they could, tried to stimulate him, but he just was in a downward spiral he couldn't get out. It became all clear to me that this was the only option unfortunately. I don't agree it left him emotionally in a bad place. The race right after he was sent back to TR he proved to be a great racer again, I think he felt more free right away again. And I agree, since he went back to TR he certainly proved he is back up to speed and doing a fantastic job with them. I would love to see him back in the RB, especially since the RB16B is much more stable to drive. Only risk is, can he handle the pressure of RB this time, that is probably the only reason he didn't get a chance again. But yes, he deserves at least another opportunity in one of the fastest cars on track again, either RB or another team.
I dont see RB replacing Checo with Gasly anytime in the next few years, as long as Max is still around. Unless either of the Ferrari drivers gets 'stolen' by another team (either with a better car or for a lot more $$), I dont see Ferrari needing the services of Gasly either. Alpine has a super talented driver in Piastri waiting to get into the seat whenever Alonso or Ocon leaves, so wont be considering Gasly either. If ever, maybe AM might be the best bet for Gasly to go to in 2024 when Seb retires, if they have a better car than AT at that time.
Yes, and personally I think he should be a little more thankful for what he's got. btw, I reported you by mistake. Sorry about that.
"Magnussen not good enough" This is the same guy who in 2018 scored as many or more points than most midfield 2021 drivers, outscored his teammate and helped Haas to fifth position in the constructors championship. Not good enough ????? Give me a brak
Red Bull going with Kvyat for 2023 for obvious family ties ? ? ? ? ? Can save money on daycare ? ?
Popular on GPBlog
McLaren believe that Verstappen may struggle to keep momentum: 'It will be very difficult for him'
Kelly Piquet reacts with pride to Verstappen's first victory in 2025
Alonso knows how hard punching above own weight is: 'I hope Verstappen wins the title'
