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Pierre Gasly has been advised to follow in the footsteps of Carlos Sainz and leave the Red Bull fold for the betterment of his career by F1 journalist Tom Clarkson.
The Frenchman is one of the multiple graduates from Red Bull's fabled junior drivers' program to be currently plying his trade in F1. Gasly, however, has not been able to drive for a front-running team despite his impressive performances with AlphaTauri following an abject half-season tenure at Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen in 2019.
After Christian Horner and Co. agreed on a deal with Sergio Perez that runs until the end of 2024, the opportunity to return to Red Bull in the immediate future is slim for Gasly.
Speaking on Gasly's situation in the latest installment of the F1 Nation podcast ahead of the 2022 F1 Azerbaijan GP, Tom Clarkson said:
“Pierre [Gasly] needs to do a Carlos Sainz. He needs to leave the Red Bull family to progress his Formula One career. And I think for him McLaren would be a very good shout.”
Carlos Sainz was at Scuderia Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) before taking a leap of faith and leaving Red Bull's sister team for Renault towards the end of the 2017 campaign. Since then, the Spaniard has gone from strength to strength with McLaren before joining Ferrari at the start of 2021.
1996 F1 world champion Damon Hill also shared his thoughts on Gasly's predicament, saying:
“Well he definitely can’t go up to the big team now, because it’s a lockout unless Max [Verstappen] leaves.”
Leaving Red Bull's operations doesn't necessarily guarantee success, as is made evident by Daniel Ricciardo's struggles since moving from Red Bull.
Pierre Gasly needs a good car, according to former F1 driver Felipe Massa
Pierre Gasly has shown for a long time that he is ready to be driving for wins in F1 after impressing with AlphaTauri, according to former F1 driver Felipe Massa.
Massa raced in F1 from 2002 through to 2017 with the likes of Sauber, Ferrari, and Williams. The Brazilian veteran made the comments in an interview on F1 TV following the confirmation of Sergio Perez's contract extension with Red Bull, saying:
“The performances from him, that he’s showing, for a long time already, he’s unbelievable. He needs a good car because he’s showing that he can drive a top car, he’s showing us that he can fight, even for victories.”
Pierre Gasly could now turn his attention to the likes of McLaren and even Aston Martin F1 if he does decide to leave AlphaTauri. Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko, however, feels it is in the 26-year-old's best interest to remain where he is for now.
