Pierre Gasly has his eyes set on securing a race-winning Formula 1 seat by 2024, be that with Red Bull or one of their rivals. The Frenchman, who has rebuilt his career from Red Bull demotion to become an unlikely race-winner, is now heading into his fifth season as an F1 driver. All 86 of his Grand Prix starts have come as part of the Red Bull programme, but only 30 came as Max Verstappen's teammate at the senior team before he was replaced by Alex Albon in cut-throat fashion. Since then, Gasly has proven that he has what it takes to keep his seat in F1 and has consistently outperformed teammates Daniil Kvyat and Yuki Tsunoda. The 2020 season saw him hit new heights, guiding his AlphaTauri to victory at Monza, but during 2021 he went from strength to strength, ending the campaign with a career-best 110 points. But it still wasn't enough to secure him a return to Red Bull's main team, with Sergio Perez being offered a new deal for 2022.
Gasly: The goal is to fight for wins in 2024
Gasly, speaking to French broadcaster 20minutes, has made clear that he hopes to find his way into a car that can fight for race wins by 2024. The 26-year-old is tied down to a contract with Red Bull until the end of 2023, keeping him with the team for another two years, but he is not bound to spend both of those seasons with AlphaTauri. "I am starting my fifth season in F1; I really want to fight for podiums and victories, more than before," said Gasly. When asked if he is looking to join one of the 'big teams' after 2023, he said: "Absolutely, that's clearly the goal. I'm a competitor at heart. I'm not in F1 to be satisfied with a top 10 or top five. "All my career, before F1, I fought for victories, poles, championships, and that's the only reason I work so hard in F1, because I want to be at the forefront and fight for a championship title. For that, you need the team and car."
Who else could Gasly race for on the F1 grid?
Should Gasly decide to turn his back on Red Bull ahead of the 2024 season, he could have a number of options available to him, but there is plenty of evolution ahead for the driver market between now and then. The door may prove to be slammed shut at Ferrari by then, with Charles Leclerc tied down to a long-term deal and Carlos Sainz going strong at the Scuderia. However, Mercedes could well find themselves searching for a Lewis Hamilton replacement, who will then be heading into his 40s, and a driver who can race alongside George Russell. McLaren could also be advertising a vacancy, with Daniel Ricciardo currently holding a contract shorter than his younger teammate Lando Norris. Meanwhile, Alpine and Aston Martin, who both have their eyes set on becoming top teams of the future, will have decisions to make on the futures of the ageing Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel.
Gasly says first conversation will be with Red Bull
"We'll see how it goes this year. I have two years left on my contract, if we decide to go all the way," Gasly continued. "For this year, of course, it's at Alpha Tauri, so by itself there's only 2023 left as a potential year with Red Bull. This is something that will have to be discussed. "Of course, the desire is there. I want to fight at the front, I want to win – I'm in F1 to win. At Red Bull, they have proven they have the car and the team to do it." He then confirmed: "The first conversations will be with them and we'll see where it takes us, if the desire is common, and if it's not we will have to see what the opportunities are in the future. "For the moment, we are focused on this season, to push AlphaTauri as high as possible and to bring them the best possible results. "It's a team that deserves it, in which I've always been given the means to shine since I came back, and it's important to me to try to give my best for them."
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