"That’s the big question" - Nico Rosberg expected Red Bull to promote Pierre Gasly to second seat

Nico Rosberg feels Red Bull should consider giving Pierre Gasly a chance to return to the team. The German F1 driver-turned-pundit believes Gasly did a 'phenomenal job' with Alpha Tauri this season.

Rosberg is most famous for beating Lewis Hamilton to the 2016 drivers' world championship. The German then announced a shock retirement less than a week later.

Now, as an analyst, Rosberg has made plenty of astute observations. Among them is one about Pierre Gasly and Red Bull.

Speaking to Sky F1, Rosberg said:

“Pierre (Gasly) is really, really awesome, to the extent where you are surprised they don’t take him back into the mother team, into Red Bull Racing.”

Rosberg then went on to add:

“But you will never know if he’s able to perform under the pressure of Red Bull Racing. That’s the big question mark which is left, and that’s why they didn’t put him back in.”

Pierre Gasly was Max Verstappen's teammate at Red Bull at the start of the 2019 season after Daniel Ricciardo's departure. The Frenchman was unable to cope with the competition against Verstappen in the first half of the campaign. He was replaced by Alex Albon for the second half of 2019 following the summer break.

The demotion coincided with some of Gasly's best performances in F1. He claimed his first podium with Toro Rosso (now Alpha Tauri) with a drag race to the finish line against Lewis Hamilton in Brazil.

Gasly then became a race winner at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza in 2020. He also picked up an impressive podium after a chaotic Azerbaijan Grand Prix in 2021.

Red Bull currently has Sergio Perez signed up to partner Verstappen. This despite having a set of young drivers waiting in the wings at multiple levels of motorsport.

Gasly's performances with Alpha Tauri have shown growth and maturity on his part. 2021 was his best season yet in F1. Whether all that translates to a Red Bull return remains to be seen.

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Nicholas Latifi promised 'lifetime supply of Red Bull' by Christian Horner

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said he was willing to offer Nicholas Latifi a 'lifetime supply of Red Bull'. The Canadian's crash on lap 54 of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix played a pivotal role in Max Verstappen's title triumph.

The subsequent Safety Car period was crucial to Verstappen's chances. The Dutchman was called in to pit for soft tires by the Red Bull garage. Those tires ultimately gave him the edge over title rival Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of the race.

After the race, an ecstatic Christian Horner said this about Latifi:

“He’ll be getting a lifetime supply of Red Bull for sure.”

The Williams driver was on the receiving end of a lot of abuse and hate on social media as a result of his crash.