Red Bull have made a huge Pierre Gasly admission, saying he has inserted himself into contention for a main team seat.
Gasly had a great season in 2021, taking his game to another level with the Red Bull sister team. Multiple strong qualifying sessions and race results made him a key player in midfield, with his overachieving in the car a major part of AlphaTauri’s success.
The Frenchman’s only time at a top team came with Red Bull in 2019 before he was unceremoniously demoted. Since then, his career has gone from strength to strength, but he reckons he hasn’t reaped the rewards for it.
However, Red Bull have made a huge Gasly admission, saying he has proven himself worthy of another shot with the main team.
Speaking about the Gasly situation on the Jack Threlfall Show as quoted by Racingnews365.com, Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley said, “We learned a huge amount of things from Alex (Albon); we learned how to help support a younger driver who’s having a difficult time.
“(It was the) same with Pierre before that. Look at the confidence Pierre has got again, now he’s back in a slightly smaller team!
“I think, honestly, Pierre is ready to make the next step up now.”
Difficult road back
“It’s been a bit of a gulf really coming from AlphaTauri or Toro Rosso in the past, into a race team with somebody the likes of Max (Verstappen) in it,” he continued.
“Max had to do with Daniel (Ricciardo), but we can see now that Max is another extraordinary talent.
“For now, Red Bull appear to have given up on trying to fast-track a junior driver alongside Verstappen, and are content to allow (Sergio) Perez (to) show his experience as the team target their first Constructors’ Championship since 2013.
“You want to win the Constructors’ Championship, not just the Drivers’ World Championship. You need both drivers there. I think that what Checo brings with him and brings to the team is this body of experience. It does make us stronger,” he concluded.
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