“Cost Me a Couple of Bad Situations”: Carlos Sainz Empathizes With Fellow Red Bull F1 Junior Pierre Gasly Over Perez Conundrum

Pierre Gasly, arguably one of the brightest stars of the Red Bull Racing driver’s academy, has had a rather shaky Formula One stint so far. His career did start off well, with the Frenchman producing enough on-track shows to attract Dr. Helmut Marko, and most importantly, Christian Horner’s attention.

Then followed the dream offer from the Milton Keynes outfit itself which promised Gasly a potential shot at the championship title. But, little did he know about the complications that were in the offing; Red Bull had both their cars working to the strengths of their star driver, Max Verstappen.

Meaning, the so-called prodigy had to work with what was indeed one of the most complex set-up-induced F1 cars on the grid. The hype fumbled as the 26-year-old showed evident struggles which consequently led to extremely poor race results. What’s more, Gasly also found himself being lapped by his very own teammate on multiple occasions, which led to the demotion to AlphaTauri.

Watch This Story: When F1 Drivers Had a Blast on Top Gear Featuring Hamilton, Vettel & Ricciardo

Now, two years later, the Frenchman is still desperately seeking ways to prove his worth to Red Bull. However, quite unfortunately, despite his splendid results on the track, his dream outfit have barely shown any interest. And to add to his woes, Sergio Perez managed to extend his stay with Red Bull until the end of 2024.

Ex-Red Bull junior Carlos Sainz acknowledges the Fate of Pierre Gasly in F1

Amid Gasly’s painful journey with the raging bulls, Carlos Sainz related his own Red Bull stint with that of the Frenchman. The Spaniard admitted that it is never easy to watch your long-dreamt seat fall into the hands of another driver.

“It was not easy,” the Ferrari driver acknowledged during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix press conference. “But, at the same time, thanks to Red Bull, that’s why I made it to F1, why I am a Formula One driver right now and I’m enjoying a career. So, it’s a difficult trade.

“I understand what Pierre is going through. I went through something relatively similar at that time. Maybe, it cost me a couple of bad situations or bad moments with Red Bull.”

Of course, the early part of Sainz’s career may have been similar to Gasly’s current situation. However, unlike the French lad, Sainz managed to force himself out of the Red Bull family and take a wild ride across a few of the greatest motorsport outfits.

Read More: Max Verstappen Slams F1 Salary Cap Idea: “Its Completely Wrong”

It began with Renault, followed by a game-changing stint with McLaren, which opened doors to the historic Scuderia Ferrari. Now, the eyes land on Gasly – How is Gasly going to play out the rest of his career? Will he follow Sainz’s footsteps and find a seat elsewhere? Or will he stick with Red Bull until the very final race of his F1 career?