"We've got some stuff to work on" - Pierre Gasly believes AlphaTauri can get more out their 2022 F1 car

Pierre Gasly feels his AlphaTauri team has work to do if they want to extract more performance from the AT03.

The Frenchman was the fastest driver on track during Day 1 of pre-season testing in Bahrain. He set a best time of 1:33.902 on the softest C5 tire compound available.

Despite that impressive showing, Pierre Gasly feels there is room for improvement. During an interview after the session, the 26-year-old said:

“It’s good to be finishing the day in P1. We’re always asked at tests how we’re doing, and I think we’ve got to focus mainly on ourselves and our performance, not at the timing screens as, at the moment, it doesn’t mean much until we get to qualifying next week. Of course, it’s always nice to be top of the rankings, but at the end of the day I know we’ve got some stuff to work on, so we can get more out of the car.”

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Jonathan Wheatley hints at Red Bull return for Pierre Gasly

Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley feels Pierre Gasly could be ready for a return to the team.

Gasly was Max Verstappen's teammate for the first half of 2019 before being replaced by Alex Albon after a string of disappointing performances. Since then, the Frenchman has gone from strength to strength, picking up podiums as well as his first-ever F1 Grand Prix win with AlphaTauri.

In conversation on The Jack Threlfall Show, Wheatley said:

“In all honesty, I think Pierre is ready to take the next leap forward. With Alex Albon, we learned how to help a rider in a difficult moment and the same happened to Pierre before him. He [Gasly] gained new life from the experience in AlphaTauri, and this helped him find the correct path. Alex is an extraordinary young man, a fantastic and fast driver. But a bit like Pierre, a teammate like Max Verstappen did not find the right measures with his side.”

Red Bull also has a host of young drivers racing at lower levels of motorsport and has a reputation for championing the youth. At 26, Gasly is already older than Red Bull's main man Max Verstappen and will need to act fast if he is to replace Sergio Perez in the sister car.