Red Bull boss Helmut Marko has warned they could lose Pierre Gasly to their rivals if they do not promote the young Frenchman back to the top team – and there are several teams Gasly could move to if that does happen. Gasly has a deal to stay with Red Bull or its sister team Alpha Tauri until the end of 2023 season.
He has consistently performed at the junior team since he was axed for Alex Albon. Gasly won his first race at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix and has consistently scored good points.
Marko said: “We have to compare the performance of these two drivers, and with Checo [Sergio Perez] we still have until the middle of the year. With Gasly we still have a contract until 2023, and it’s already clear that if this contract expires and we can’t offer him a chance to move up, we will most likely lose him, and we don’t want that.”
After next season Gasly will be free to strike a deal with a new outfit on the grid and may look to do so to mount a bid for wins and a title push. Express Sport looks at three teams he could join.
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McLaren
At F1’s Las Vegas launch, Daniel Ricciardo joked he was planning to retire but would stay to race at the iconic track. Ricciardo has previously added he doesn’t want a long F1 contract like team-mate Lando Norris and said he could be at McLaren until the end of his career.
At 32 years of age, Ricciardo is possibly tailing towards the last years of his career making a move for Gasly a distinct possibility.
Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton reignited retirement rumors yesterday after he described a “tough year” at the Silver Arrows. George Russell was lined up as the team’s next protegee and will learn alongside Hamilton to step up to lead the team when he eventually leaves, with his contract up at the end of 2023 when Gasly’s also expires.
Mercedes have their own talent pool with Stoffel Vandoorne and Nyck de Vries as their reserve drivers. However, Gasly could be a viable fit with plenty of F1 experience ready to win races.
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Williams
Red Bull released Albon from his contract with the team to drive for Williams in 2022 to fill in for the departing Russell. However, there could be considerable pressure on Nicholas Latifi’s F1 drive in his third season with the team.
Latifi was consistently beaten by Russell last season and has started poorly in 2022 with Albon getting the better of him. But, the team are unlikely to be in the title fight in the next few years meaning staying at Alpha Tauri could be a better option for Gasly.
Why not other teams?
The simple answer is, the teams who could be battling near the front are all settled or have their own in-house options. Ferrari appear to be preparing Mick Schumacher to jump into the team when the driver steps down.
Lance Stroll will always have a seat at Aston Martin while dad Lawrence is in charge while Sebastian Vettel signed a multi-year extension last summer. Alpine’s Fernando Alonso has publicly stated he hopes to stay for two more years while Esteban Ocon is signed until 2024. If either leaves, F2 champion Oscar Piastri is the next in line.
