Pierre Gasly hints at 2023 Red Bull option

Pierre Gasly

Gasly hints at 2023 Red Bull option

Gasly was dropped by the team midway through the 2019 season

Ian Parkes & Ewan Gale

Sunday 26 December 2021 17:00

Pierre Gasly has hinted at a potential opening at Red Bull for 2023 but stressed his next career move will be "key".

Frenchman Gasly has gone through a career resurrection since being dropped by Red Bull midway through the 2019 season, taking a maiden win with AlphaTauri in 2020 before raising eyebrows throughout the sport with his consistently impressive performances across 2021.

Gasly almost single-handedly dragged his team to fifth in the constructors' standings by amassing the most points in the Faenza-based team's history.

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Despite his stellar season, Red Bull opted to retain Sergio Perez instead of promoting Gasly and asked in an interview including GPFans whether his next career move was key, he replied: "Yes, I think it's clearly a key move.

"We'll have to see what the view of Red Bull over the next 2 years because now it's been 8 years I've been with them. It's a long time.

"Obviously, at the moment, they have a very competitive car. Need to see what they're going to do with Max [Verstappen] and how they'll move forward, but obviously, I need to think also about my career.

"I mean, I'm still very young. I'm 25, but my goal is to be in the first seat once these guys are going to look at who can be a replacement. At the moment I'm ninth in the driver championship.

"All eight guys ahead of me are the drivers who are running for their fourth-best constructor. That's why it's important for me to show that if there is a free seat, I should be the obvious choice. That's what I'm trying to do."

On where his future lies, Gasly added: "First of all, obviously, my priority is with Red Bull, but at the moment they've decided to continue with Sergio.

"I don't know what they're going to plan. They're saying that probably 2023 there could be an option.

"I'll try to put myself in the best position for that, but it's a discussion that we know we're going to have next year with Red Bull."