Pierre Gasly frustrated by ‘lack of recognition’ from Red Bull

The Frenchman was previously demoted from the team back to Toro Rosso – now AlphaTauri

Pierre Gasly has expressed frustration over a lack of “recognition and reward” from Red Bull in his Formula 1 career.

Gasly failed to impress Red Bull enough in 2019 for the team to stick by the Frenchman, who was demoted back to Toro Rosso.

The 25-year-old has turned in a number of encouraging performances since the outfit was rebranded as AlphaTauri, however, winning at Monza in 2020 and achieving a consistent level of solid performances this season in particular.

Gasly was therefore believed to be in with a chance of rejoining former teammate and new world champion Max Verstappen at Red Bull next year, but Sergio Perez has instead been retained by the team.

Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport, Gasly said: “My desire, my will to fight for world championships is very strong.

“I’m in Formula 1 to fight at the top. That motivates me to keep improving.

“I won’t lie, it’s hard to deliver a season like that. And then when I compare myself to those who got the opportunity for a Red Bull seat, it’s disappointing. Based on the numbers and results, I have delivered a better performance than anyone else in this team.

“But at the end of the day, I don’t get the recognition and reward for that. That’s hard to swallow. It disappoints me, of course.

“I know what I want to achieve in this sport. I want to fight at the top. That hasn’t changed.

“Next year it won’t be that far yet, but that doesn’t mean if it’s not there in 2022 it won’t happen in 2023. I continue to give full throttle and believe in myself.

“I hope the AlphaTauri will be as good as it was this season, despite the change in regulations.”

Verstappen won the drivers’ championship for Red Bull on a controversial final lap of the season in December, overtaking Lewis Hamilton to win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Teammate Perez played a key role in slowing defending champion Hamilton down at points in the race, ultimately contributing to Verstappen’s shootout victory over the Mercedes driver after a late appearance from a safety car.