Pierre Gasly will get his opportunity to race in Formula 1 with Toro Rosso from this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang, but it will be Daniil Kvyat he replaces at the Red Bull junior team.
The Frenchman was linked with a drive for the Italian outfit at Sepang but it was speculated he would replace Carlos Sainz, with the Spaniard moving to Renault early ahead of a loan move for 2018.
However, with that switch not taking place, Red Bull and Toro Rosso bosses have still decided to test last year’s GP2 champion, who has been racing in Super Formula in Japan this year, with at least one seat becoming available next season.
“Scuderia Toro Rosso was established by Red Bull to bring youngsters from its Junior Programme into F1 and that’s what we are doing by giving Pierre this chance,” Team Principal Franz Tost commented.
“He is the next in line at Red Bull for this opportunity and he has shown that he deserves it, having taken the 2016 GP2 title and this year is very competitive in the Super Formula series in Japan. He really has a valid chance of winning the title, as he is only half a point behind the leader.
“The driver switch gives us an opportunity to make a more informed decision regarding our 2018 driver choices,” he added.
Though not specific on how long Gasly will get behind the wheel, it is possible he could drive at five of the final six races with the final round of Super Formula falling on the same weekend as the United States Grand Prix in Austin.
It was also confirmed Kvyat will remain in the Red Bull stable but explaining why the Russian was being replaced now, Tost said: “For a variety of reasons, some of them due to technical problems, but others being mistakes of his own making, Daniil Kvyat has not really shown his true potential so far this year, which is why we are standing him down for the next races.
“This will give us the opportunity to evaluate Pierre on track during a proper race weekend.”
There was some surprise Gasly wasn’t given the promotion sooner, with Red Bull deciding to keep Kvyat at Toro Rosso this season despite a difficult year in 2016, which saw him demoted back to the junior team part way through.
Now it has arrived, however, the 21-year-old is keen to make the most of it.
“I would like to thank everyone who has helped me get this chance in my motor racing career and specifically, Red Bull, Dr Helmut Marko and Scuderia Toro Rosso, this is a great opportunity for me,” he said.
“I feel as ready as I can be, having had to be prepared for anything in my role as Red Bull Racing’s third driver this year. I will do my best to perform well with Scuderia Toro Rosso during these coming races.”
