Marko and Horner disappoint Gasly again: What next for Pierre?
- GPblog.com
For Pierre Gasly, the Monaco Grand Prix was one to forget quickly but Tuesday, May 31, 2022 will also be a day the Frenchman would rather not be reminded of. The AlphaTauri driver thought he had a good chance of being transferred to Red Bull Racing in 2023, but nothing could be further from the truth. Christian Horner and Helmut Marko opted for Sergio Perez.
Gasly drove just over a full season for the then Toro Rosso team when he was thrown to the lions as Max Verstappen's teammate at Red Bull in 2019. Halfway through the season, Gasly was nevertheless deemed to underperform. He was transferred back to Toro Rosso, while Alexander Albon was given the next chance. The British Thai also failed and was pushed aside after 2020.
Still no second chance for Gasly
Meanwhile, Gasly had regained a taste for racing at the team that was now going through life as AlphaTauri. Especially 2021 was impressive from the 25-year-old driver. In the qualifying, Gasly managed to impress, in the races he, unfortunately, had some bad luck. But still: Gasly hoped for a transfer to Red Bull. In the summer break of last year, however, came the news that the Austrians wanted to stick with Perez.
Gasly is now disappointed for the second time, this time only earlier in the season. His contract runs until 2023, but the question is whether he will serve it out completely. Gasly claims to be unlearned at AlphaTauri and is aiming for a step up. There is a good chance that we will see Yuki Tsunoda's teammate in Formula 1 in 2023, after all he has a contract at AlphaTauri and they are happy with him there, but the question is which colours he will defend.
Maybe McLaren or Aston Martin?
At Mercedes, McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari and Alpine, the seats are already filled. Possibly Daniel Ricciardo will leave the team from Woking early because of disappointing results. McLaren states that there are possibilities to tear up the contract, but under what conditions is unclear. For Gasly, McLaren would be a nice, ambitious step.
Another formation with big ambitions is Aston Martin. It is not inconceivable that Sebastian Vettel retires. The British team is not yet at the desired level but with financier Lawrence Stroll there is enough financially in any case possible. This season, however, shows once again that not everything in Formula 1 is for sale. The long-term program outlined by Aston Martin might convince Gasly.
Williams does not seem an option
A spot may become available at Williams if Nicholas Latifi leaves, but in that case Gasly might as well sit out another season at AlphaTauri and take another look in 2024. At Alfa Romeo Racing, Guanyu Zhou is just new and they also have Theo Pourchaire, so that chance is very slim, despite the fact that with Frederic Vasseur, a compatriot of Gasly is the team boss.