Pink Bull look like opening the door for Pierre Gasly to pursue different alternatives when his contract expires on the finish of the 2023 season.
Gasly finds himself bumping his head on a glass ceiling throughout the Pink Bull programme, having labored his means up via the ranks and into the primary senior group seat alongside Max Verstappen in 2019 solely to be demoted to junior group once more after simply 12 races.
The pathway again to the senior group for Gasly seems to be blocked as they’ve discovered a extra stable possibility within the vastly skilled Sergio Perez and, even when Perez was not a Pink Bull driver, it will not be a lifeless certainty that Gasly would have a second chew of the cherry.
There’s a sturdy want within the Formulation 1 group to see Gasly observe within the footsteps of Carlos Sainz and break free from the Pink Bull household and go his personal means.
Judging by feedback made by Helmut Marko by way of the French department of Motorsport.com, folks could get their want on the finish of subsequent season.
When requested if Pink Bull would let Gasly go to pursue different alternatives in Formulation 1, he replied: “Sure. We’ve relationship. As a group chief, he has been very profitable at AlphaTauri in recent times.
“However Yuki [Tsunoda] is already at his degree by way of lap pace. Within the race, issues usually are not going as nicely [as in previous seasons for the Frenchman].
“However, we improved Gasly’s contract financially, though we didn’t have to try this.
“Perez’s contract prevents a transfer for Gasly to Pink Bull Racing in 2023. From 2024, Gasly is free.”
And whereas Marko acknowledged that Gasly is a greater driver now in comparison with 2019, he nonetheless seems to be unconvinced about him being anyplace close to Verstappen’s commonplace frequently.
“Gasly was lapped by Max in Hungary in 2019,” Marko recalled.
“He’s actually extra stable, he has much more confidence. However to what extent he may maintain his personal towards a Verstappen, it’s laborious to say.”
Gasly, in the meantime, has not too long ago mentioned he feels able to make the step up once more away from the AlphaTauri group – however received’t be going anyplace till the tip of the 2023 season on the very earliest.