Pierre Gasly was unfussy about where he would be racing in two weeks time with a decision over his participation in the United States Grand Prix still yet to be made.
On Saturday it was confirmed Jolyon Palmer would be making way for Carlos Sainz after this weekend, with the Spaniard joining Renault and Daniil Kvyat coming back after missing the last two races.
Gasly, however, could be back at Suzuka to compete in the season finale of Super Formula, the championship he had been competing in after claiming the GP2 crown last year, where he sits just half a point behind in the standings.
“You know at the moment I haven’t got any confirmation about what’s going to happen in two weeks from (Red Bull motorsport advisor) Helmut [Marko] and (Toro Rosso team boss) Franz [Tost],” the Frenchman revealed on Sunday. “I saw [the Sainz news]. I’ll wait to see Helmut before saying anything.”
Earlier in the week, the 20-year-old had suggested he would be prepared to give up his chance at a second title in as many years to continue in F1 but he would insist: “The two options are really exciting for me.
“If I go to Super Formula, fight for the title and come back in Mexico and finish the season with Toro Rosso, it will be great because the title is a title but if I can go to Austin and race with Toro Rosso and continue the season with them, I’m not going to complain either because it’s a fantastic opportunity. It’s good experience for me to be in Formula 1.
“So at the moment, we just need to wait and I’m pretty sure we’ll find out. Next week, everything should be confirmed.”
It was suggested Toro Rosso’s 2018 engine partner Honda could want Gasly to complete the season in Super Formula, which they compete in, however, motorsport boss Masashi Yamamoto claims the manufacturer is open-minded about him competing in Texas.
“We believe Gasly should race in Austin with Toro Rosso,” he told Motorsport.com. “We want him to race there but if there is anybody who can drive instead of Gasly in Austin, we’re happy to have him in Super Formula.
“We are not pushing for him to race in Super Formula, of course, it is important for Honda to win the Super Formula title in Japan but we think the priority is having him in F1. Marko thinks it is important to have the Super Formula title but he also thinks Formula 1 is the priority so we agree in that point of view.”
In Pierre’s second F1 race on Sunday, it was another solid performance as he came home in 13th, although an early pit-stop would see his chance for points fade as tyre wear again proved an Achilles heel.
