Gasly on Red Bull: 'Don't get recognition for it, hard to swallow'
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- GPblog.com
Pierre Gasly impressed yet again last year in Formula 1, especially in qualifying. The Frenchman regularly excelled and qualified in the top six on 16 occasions, which is an incredible achievement given AlphaTauri only finished sixth in the Constructors' Championship. It wasnt rewarded, however, with switch to Red Bull Racing , as halfway through the year the Austrian formation opted to extend Perez's contract. Gasly is patient for his chance, but he feels he is ready.
Gasly wants to keep learning
When asked by Auto, Motor und Sport whether he has outgrown AlphaTauri, Gasly replied, "No. My desire, my will to fight for world championships is very strong. I am in Formula 1 to fight at the top. That motivates me to keep improving. I'm not going to lie. It's hard to deliver a season like this."
The 25-year-old driver performed very consistently in 2021, although he often had some bad luck on Sunday's. He finished with 110 points and ninth place in the Drivers' Championship. For someone driving an AlphaTauri, it was a very impressive achievement, something Gasly himself thinks too, as he states with the German medium.
Disappointment with Gasly
"If I then compare myself with those who had the chance for a Red Bull seat, it is disappointing," he says. If Gasly goes by the numbers and results of other drivers who drove for Toro Rosso or AlphaTauri, he claims to have performed better than anyone else. What stings him is that it is considered something normal.
Gasly: "At the end of the day, I don't get the recognition and reward for it. That's hard to swallow. That disappoints me, of course." However, he remains highly motivated to fight for victory at the front of the field in the foreseeable future. Gasly doesn't expect to get that chance as early as 2022, but he believes there will be opportunities for him in the years thereafter.
Options in 2023
That Gasly will still be out for AlphaTauri in 2023 does not seem obvious. He himself has repeatedly indicated that he is ready for a step up. He might replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull Racing after next season or a spot might become available at Mercedes if Lewis Hamilton retires. In any case, much will depend on how well all the teams in Formula 1 have managed to digest the rule changes for 2022.