"If this contract expires and we can't offer him a chance of promotion, we will most likely lose him" - Red Bull keen to keep Pierre Gasly

Red Bull special advisor Helmut Marko believes the Austrian marquee could lose Pierre Gasly to rivals if they fail to offer him a seat in their senior team. The Frenchman’s current contract with Red Bull is set to expire at the end of 2023. Speaking to German outlet Formel1, Marko said:

“If his contract expires and we can’t offer him any chance of promotion, we will most likely lose him. We don’t want that.”

Gasly is currently driving for Red Bull’s sister team Alpha Tauri in F1 and is hoping for a promotion alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing. According to Marko, however, Sergio Perez’s contract with Red Bull could complicate matters. He said:

“At the moment we still have a contract with ‘Checo’ [Perez] and we have to compare the performance of these two drivers. With ‘Checo’ we still have until the middle of the year. The car suits him better, he feels more comfortable. And he knows the team. We are very happy that this development has taken place.”

Pierre Gasly has been a Red Bull junior since the early days of his single-seater career. He has won several junior category championships with the marquee’s backing. He subsequently debuted in F1 with Red Bull’s sister team Toro Rosso (now Alpha Tauri) in late 2017.

For the 2019 season, he was drafted into Red Bull Racing to replace the Renault-bound Daniel Ricciardo alongside Max Verstappen. The Frenchman, however, struggled to adapt to his car and was subsequently demoted back to the junior team by mid-season.

Following his demotion, Gasly has seen a resurgence in his performances and is currently highly rated by his peers and rivals alike.

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Pierre Gasly “good enough” for another chance at Red Bull: Gerhard Berger

Former F1 driver and DTM boss Gerhard Berger believes Pierre Gasly still has an opportunity to get a seat alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull soon. Speaking to Motorsport-Total.com, the German said:

“He’s good enough to get another chance. When Red Bull makes a decision, they are loyal, they give you your chance. Gasly got his chance at the wrong time. He’s doing a good job and is a good driver.”

Berger is a close confidant of Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz. The German believes Pierre Gasly stands a good chance of a promotion after his current contract expires.