Pierre Gasly set deadline to return as Max Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate

F1: Verstappen and Hamilton verbally spar

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

Pierre Gasly has been given two years to impress Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko if he wants to return to Red Bull’s main team setup in the future. Gasly currently races for Red Bull’s sister team AlphaTauri in Formula 1, having been axed from the senior team in August 2019, but has shown good form so far in 2021.

Excitement around the young Frenchman has been building with his imposing performances, the latest of which took place at the Hungarian Grand Prix as he finished in fifth place.

With rumours swirling about the future of Sergio Perez as Max Verstappen’s team-mate, Marko was keen to emphasise the difference between performing well as a main man compared to supporting a superior driver when asked about a possible return for Gasly to the senior team. Marko also gave an idea of how long Gasly had to stake his claim for the role.

JUST IN:Alonso sympathises with Verstappen over ‘very British’ F1 bias

Marko said: “We are putting a lot of effort into our AlphaTauri brand and we need a leader for the team, a very strong driver there.

“Pierre is driving at his best, that’s true, but being number one in a very good sister team is a different story to being number two to Max Verstappen in the best team.

“We are looking at his progress a lot. In the next two years we will decide if we will release him on the transfer market, when his contract ends, or if he will go back to Red Bull.”

DON’T MISS:
Hamilton applying ‘pressure’ over Mercedes team-mate – Priestley
George Russell makes vow ahead of possible Hamilton partnership
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen collisions this season 

Red Bull are not the only team in the midst of discussions about their primary partnerships. The future of Mercedes’ driver Valtteri Bottas has been another hot topic of discussion, with many believing that the Finn is at risk of being replaced by George Russell as Lewis Hamilton’s team-mate for the 2022 season.

Bottas has made a number of errors this season, most recently in Hungary where his mistake at the first corner took out Verstappen, Perez and Lando Norris. Russell meanwhile has been quietly impressive at McLaren despite the car’s struggles, and was a Mercedes driver throughout his junior career.

Formula 1 is currently in the middle of its three-week mid-season break. It returns at Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix on August 27, by which time the picture surrounding drivers for the 2022 season may well be clearer.

Hamilton currently leads the Drivers’ Championship standings by eight points from Verstappen having overturned a 32 point deficit in just two races. Relations between Mercedes and Red Bull are at an all-time low after the now infamous crash between the title rivals at Silverstone and Bottas’ untimely error in Budapest.

Source: Read Full Article