Red Bull F1 Boss Refuses to Promote Pierre Gasly Just Out of Emotion, Lays Out Reason for Snub

Pierre Gasly had a sensational redemption race at Monza last season. Red Bull promoted the Frenchman after Daniel Ricciardo moved to Renault in 2019. However, because he consistently performed below expectations, the Milton Keynes team replaced him mid-season.

The team demoted Pierre Gasly back to AlphaTauri. It was not an easy season for the Frenchman; the driver had to go through a lot. However, his redemption came the very next season at Monza when he proved his critics wrong and won his first Formula 1 race.

They replaced the Frenchman with Alex Albon. The Thai driver also failed to meet the expectation of the team. However, Christian Horner explained why Gasly was not retained by Red Bull.

“Pierre has shown some good races this year, but he’s also shown some dips as well. He wouldn’t have had the chance in F1 without Red Bull. If you can’t cope with the pressure and scrutiny, you’re never going to make it at the highest level in F1. To drive for Red Bull, it’s all about delivering.

“Helmut [Marko, Red Bull motorsport adviser] and I looked at the information. It is not based on emotion, it is based on facts. From a team point of view, there is no one pushing internally to say we have got to have Pierre back,” shared the Red Bull boss.

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Red Bull team principal on Pierre Gasly

Episode 6 of Drive to Survive focuses on the Frenchman’s sensational comeback. In the episode, Gasly was on the way to the circuit and read the news on his phone, claiming no 2020 Red Bull return for Gasly.

The report further reads, “‘I have my target, the fight is on. Now we’re going to score some ***** points.’ It certainly lit a fire in his belly, as he went on to secure his first F1 victory in a thrilling race in Monza that weekend.”

Drive to Survive gives us an interesting behind-the-scenes access to what happened at Monza, and his feelings regarding the Red Bull demotion. Maybe the Frenchman had something to say to Red Bull after his win.

Which aspect Gasly’s Monza triumph would you like to see?