“If You Look at What a Second Driver Has to Give…”: Gasly Speaks Out on Painful Perez-Red Bull F1 Extension

Pierre Gasly doesn’t seem surprised by the new signing. By inking a deal with Sergio Perez, Red Bull has signed a letter of intent that they see a future with the Mexican. But this signing also means the Milton Keynes-based outfit has closed the doors on a possible return for Pierre Gasly. The Frenchman, who has been with the AlphaTauri since 2019 after his demotion, will probably be looking elsewhere for a seat. 

However, the Frenchman doesn’t see any harm done. Not surprised that Red Bull chose to sign with Sergio Perez, Gasly has given his thoughts on the matter. He also hinted at the possibility that he could be on the move in search of a better team. 

Pierre Gasly comments on Red Bull signing Sergio Perez in Baku

Ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Pierre Gasly iterated that ‘Checo’ ticks all the boxes that Red Bull wants in a driver.  He also revealed that Red Bull advisor, Helmut Marko,  had warned Gasly about the signing. “It makes sense and it is not a surprise,” said Pierre to the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. If you look at what a second driver has to give, Perez ticks all the boxes.”  (Translated by Google)

“He is performing well this season, he is fast, he has financial backing, a lot of experience and he brings good feedback to the team.”

And even though the new deal doesn’t benefit Gasly, the contract was due anyway as Perez’s form has been immense in 2022. Scoring a pole position in Saudi Arabia, podiums in Imola and Australia, and a well-deserved win in Monaco sealed the deal. Sergio seems to be more in tune with the new RB18 than last year’s car and has been able to extract more performance from the car when needed.

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In a weekend like Monaco where he had the edge over Verstappen all through Free Practice to Sunday’s race. Sergio Perez is only fifteen points off the leaderboard and the Mexican can mount a serious fight for the title. Red Bull boss Christian Horner has no issues with the pair fighting it out for the title; so who knows what is possible. 

Could Pierre Gasly look towards a future without Red Bull?

Meanwhile coming back to Pierre Gasly, there remains uncertainty over his future. For a program that supported him for most of his career, leaving it would certainly be difficult. Given his skills behind the wheel and ambitions of scoring more than just points, there is very little doubt the Frenchman will want to move teams. “On the other hand, this decision has an impact on my career and ambitions,” Pierre began saying. 

That’s why we now have to see how we proceed. My ambitions are higher than just fighting for a place in the Top 10, I want more than that.” 

For now, however, Pierre Gasly insists that he is committed to AlphaTauri. The AT03 isn’t as competitive as last year’s car and it has been difficult for Gasly to be consistently in the points. Regardless, the Frenchman says that he is discussing with Helmut Marko to decide what’s best for him in the future.  

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Will Pierre Gasly make the rumored move to McLaren as everyone expects? Or does he move elsewhere such as Alpine? It looks like it will be a tough decision for Pierre to make.