AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly’s relationship with the Red Bull management may just be at an all-time low if the comments of team advisor Helmut Marko hold weight.
Gasly has made it public knowledge that he is trying his best to secure a seat next to Max Verstappen at Red Bull.
Gasly has raced for Red Bull in the past but it brought no results worth noting and the Frenchman was consequently demoted to their sister team.
Marko has gone one step further and claimed that the team should not have given Gasly a pay rise and that there is no chance he can force his way back at Red Bull.
In fact, Marko even said that they are prepared to let Gasly leave the Red Bull programme altogether once his contract ends in 2023.
Gasly had previously worked his way up the ranks at Red Bull, having started off as a junior driver for the team.
Big things were expected from him given his performances outside F1, but he was not able to repay the faith when he finally got his chance at Red Bull by replacing Daniel Ricciardo.
However, after only 12 races with the team, he was demoted and had to resurrect his career at Toro Rosso.
Gasly showed that he had plenty to offer and was rather impressive in his first two seasons with the team.
The Frenchman even managed to pick up a rare victory at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix among other podium finishes.
Does Gasly have a future at Red Bull?
This season, though, has not quite gone as per plan for him and Marko compared him with fellow teammate Yuki Tsunoda.
For Marko, Tsunoda has shown that he is as fast as Gasly and this has done little to dispell his belief that Max Verstappen deserves a stronger candidate to partner him once Perez leaves.
“Yes. We have a good relationship. As a team leader, he has been very successful at AlphaTauri in recent years,” Marko said.
“But Yuki [Tsunoda] is already at his level in terms of lap speed. In the race, things are not going as well [as in prior seasons for Gasly].
“Nevertheless, we improved Gasly’s contract financially, even though we didn’t have to do that.
“Perez’s contract prevents a move for Gasly to Red Bull Racing in 2023. From 2024, Gasly is free.”
Gasly may well believe that he has unfinished business with Red Bull, but it appears that he won’t be afforded that chance in the near future, at least not till Marko is calling the shots.
“Gasly was lapped by Max in Hungary in 2019,” Marko said.
“He’s certainly more solid, he has a lot more confidence. But to what extent he could hold his own against a Verstappen, it’s hard to say.”
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