Pierre Gasly admits he is “disappointed” by the lack of recognition from Red Bull for his strong results at AlphaTauri.
Last year the Frenchman finished ninth in the Drivers’ Championship, ahead of both Alpine drivers and only five points behind Daniel Ricciardo with his tally of 110 his highest for a single Formula 1 season.
Despite that, Gasly was overlooked for promotion back to the senior Red Bull team, and that has left him frustrated at the inability to move up the grid.
“My desire, my will to fight for World Championships is very strong. I’m in Formula 1 to fight at the top and that motivates me to keep improving,” he told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.
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“I won’t lie, it’s hard to deliver a season like that and then when I compare myself to those who got the opportunity for a Red Bull seat, it’s disappointing.
“Based on the numbers and results, I have delivered a better performance than anyone else in this team, but at the end of the day, I don’t get the recognition and reward for that. That’s hard to swallow. It disappoints me, of course.”
Gasly’s contract situation is different compared to most with Red Bull of course having first say over his future.
But his current deal expires at the end of this year and as a result, and he is hopeful that this will be his last season at AlphaTauri.
“No, because the market will change,” he said when asked if he felt a risk of spending his best years in F1 at Red Bull’s sister team.
“Many drivers’ contracts expire for 2023. Opportunities will open up.
“In Formula 1, everything happens very quickly. I’m not too worried. There will be opportunities. I know that. We will see when it is the right time.
“Right now, I am concentrating on every race weekend, on my performance. I’m doing the best I can.
“I would certainly do better with a faster car. That’s the only thing that counts.”
The obvious move for Gasly is still a return to Red Bull, where Sergio Perez is only signed to a one-year contract.
But he is also keen to remain on the radar of every top team on the grid.
“I think it’s clearly a key move,” he said of his next career step.
“We will have to see what the view of Red Bull is because now it’s been eight years I’ve been with them. It’s a long time.
“Obviously, at the moment they have a very competitive car but obviously, I need to think also about my career.
“I’m still very young, I’m 25, that’s why it’s important for me to show that if there is a free seat [at a top team], I should be the obvious choice. That’s what I’m trying to do.
“You are seeing the best Pierre Gasly ever in Formula 1,” he added. “I also feel that with more experience I’m getting a better understanding of everything that’s happening around me.
“I’m much more in control of things. I know exactly what I want from the car and from the team. I think that’s getting better and better year by year.”
On Red Bull’s side, team boss Christian Horner remained coy about a potential Gasly return.
“I would never rule anything out,” he told Formula1.com.
“He’s driving at a very nice standard. He’s still very young, he’s doing a great job. For 2023, we have multiple options available to us, so when you’re in the situation that we are, that’s exactly what we want.
“Pierre Gasly has done a phenomenal job with AlphaTauri the last couple of seasons, and their aspirations continue to grow, so for him to retain the lead drive there is good.
“He remains a Red Bull Racing driver on loan to AlphaTauri.”