AlphaTauri boss Franz Tost has suggested Pierre Gasly will have a chance to join any top team in Formula 1 in 2022.
Despite an impressive year, which saw the Frenchman claim victory at the Italian Grand Prix and finish 10th in the Drivers’ standings, he was overlooked for a return to Red Bull, who instead wanted him to focus on being the lead driver at their sister team.
However, for next year it appears Gasly will get the opportunity to move on should he continue to impress.
“I think it’s good for Pierre to stay here – he loves the team and we love him,” Tost told Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport.
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“But if he shows the same performance as 2020, he will have a chance to go to Red Bull or another competitive team.
“He has everything to become a successful driver.”
Last year, it was briefly rumoured that Gasly was in talks to join Alpine before quickly being squashed.
And the AlphaTauri boss admits if another team was to show interest in the 25-year-old, Red Bull would drive a tough deal.
“If a driver is competitive like Pierre then yes, of course other teams will ask about the contractual details,” Tost said. “They will want to know eventually when a driver is available.
“But he has a Red Bull contract and I don’t think Red Bull will give him free at such an early stage.
“They invested a lot of money to build him up and sooner or later, they want to get his fruits back and good results with him – win races and also Championships. We’ll see.”
As for this season, Tost admits Gasly’s influence has grown within AlphaTauri, as he partners a rookie in Yuki Tsunoda.
“He is now an experienced driver and a successful driver as well,” said the Austrian. “Any team always is oriented and concentrated to a successful driver.
“What does this mean? The team listens to the technical feedback of the driver and of course as a result of this, the new design of the car [is influenced].
“Let me say it this way – the designers and engineers, they keep the consideration of all technical feedback from such a good driver that they make next year’s car even better.
“This car then fits with the driving style of this driver and to make the car simply faster. That’s the normal way.”