Pierre Gasly wants to be a top team’s “obvious choice” in Formula 1 and is open to offers while waiting to see what decisions Red Bull make.
Gasly had an ill-fated promotion from Toro Rosso to Red Bull in 2019 before being demoted back to Toro Rosso, now branded AlphaTauri. But this past season he has shown improvements, with his skills in qualifying catching the eye of many observers.
The French star finished ninth in the drivers’ championship and the talk around his progression has led many to pose the question of what comes next.
“I think it’s clearly a key move,” said Gasly, quoted by GPFans. “We will have to see what the view of Red Bull is over the next two years, because now it’s been eight years I’ve been with them. It’s a long time.
“Obviously, at the moment they have a very competitive car. I need to see what they do with Max [Verstappen] and how they will move forward, but obviously I need to think also about my career.
“I’m still very young, I’m 25, but my goal is to be in the first seat once these guys look at who can be a replacement. At the moment, I’m ninth in the drivers’ championship.
“All eight guys ahead of me are the drivers running for the four best constructors. 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.”
Sergio Perez signed a contract extension in June and with Verstappen winning the championship it’s unlikely there will be a spot for Gasly in the team.
In 2022, Verstappen will be attempting to defend the title he won at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and he has no intentions of moving on from Red Bull.
“I hope we can do this for 10-15 years together,” he said after winning the title. “There’s no reason to change ever. I want to stay with them for the rest of my life. I hope they let me, but yeah, it’s insane.”
