Pierre Gasly believes both he and Red Bull know he would perform better if given a second chance.
Since returning to Toro Rosso/AlphaTauri last year, the Frenchman has been a star performer, culminating in his remarkable victory at the Italian Grand Prix last month.
His performances have led to claims that Pierre should be drafted back to Red Bull, but is Gasly ready to once again face the prospect of trying to keep up with Max Verstappen?
“I haven’t even thought about it,” he said to Motorsport-Total.com. “But it’s clear that if you want to be a World Champion, you have to be the leader in the team, that is the first criterion.
“But in my situation, I also want to fight for top spots, and I think Red Bull has a much better car. So I have to think a little bit to know what I prefer.
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“What is clear is that Red Bull and I both learned what didn’t work,” Gasly added. “I think we would do things differently to make sure we are as competitive as we should be – on their side and also on my side.
“I believe that we would perform much better and we both know that.”
Gasly has also had the edge on the man who replaced him Alex Albon on multiple occasions, finishing ahead of pace alone at four races.
Although when it comes to that comparison, the 24-year-old isn’t that bothered.
“I’m happy no matter who’s behind me,” he explained. “I’m not focused on Alex. What happens to him isn’t really my problem, so I’m not really interested in that.
“My point is, I’ve probably scored 70 points in the last 12 months with Toro Rosso and AlphaTauri, which is a lot more than anyone else in this team before. Some have got the chance to go to Red Bull and have scored less than me. We’ll see.”
Indeed, for all his aspirations of returning to Red Bull, Gasly maintains he is happy where he is now.
“Am I happy with my performance with the team? Yes. Am I happy to work with this team? Yes. Is it my goal to fight for better positions in Formula One? Yes, you have to consider everything,” he said.
“At the moment I can’t do much anymore, I think, but at the end of the day, there’s no good option and no bad option. I think both options are good. I’m performing quite well at the moment.”