Pierre Gasly wants to put himself in a position so when a top line drive becomes available in Formula 1 that he is first in line for it.
The Frenchman, currently racing impressively for Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda, has shown himself to be a top line driver with the team since he was dropped from the Red Bull Racing line-up midway through the 2019 season.
He took a podium in the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix with Scuderia Toro Rosso, the former guise of AlphaTauri, before taking an emotional first win in Formula 1 in 2020 in Italy.
In 2021, Gasly was the main points scorer for AlphaTauri and took his third career podium with a third place in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, while his performances in Qualifying have been strong. He took multiple top ten positions in Qualifying, including a front row start for the Qatar Grand Prix, and he ended ninth in the Drivers’ Championship, just five points behind Daniel Ricciardo.
But looking ahead, Gasly wants to be that next person drafted into a top team should a position become available, whether it is back with Red Bull or elsewhere.
“I think it’s clearly a key move,” Gasly is quoted as saying by GPFans. “We will have to see what the view of Red Bull is over the next two years because now it’s been eight years I’ve been with them. It’s a long time.
“Obviously, at the moment they have a very competitive car. I need to see what they do with Max [Verstappen] and how they will move forward, but obviously I need to think also about my career.
“I’m still very young, I’m 25, but my goal is to be in the first seat once these guys look at who can be a replacement. At the moment, I’m ninth in the Drivers’ Championship.
“All eight guys ahead of me are the drivers running for the four best constructors. That’s why it’s important for me to show that if there is a free seat, I should be the obvious choice. That’s what I’m trying to do.”
