Gasly not allowed to leave Red Bull: 'They want to reap the rewards'

Pierre Gasly was disappointed that he was not even considered for a seat at Red Bull Racing after his spectacular season for AlphaTauri, in which he also won a race. According to his team boss, Gasly is now of interest to other teams.

Gasly was given the chance of a lifetime at Red Bull Racing in 2019, but after just six months the fairytale was over. After struggling to make the step up, Alexander Albon replaced him and while that also disappointed, Gasly has since shone at AlphaTauri and even took a victory.

''When a driver is as competitive as Pierre, other teams will naturally come and ask about the contractual details. They all want to know if and when a driver is available. But he has a contract with Red Bull and I don't think Red Bull will release him any time soon. They have invested a lot of money in him and sooner or later they want to reap the benefits, get good results, win races and also championships. We'll see," Franz Tost told Motorsport.com.

The Frenchman was to become an important pillar for AlphaTauri, as Helmut Marko had previously announced. AlphaTauri need an experienced driver to build on and with the arrival of young Yuki Tsunoda, it is also nice to have a good benchmark. According to Tost, Gasly has shown he can reach a decent level.

''He is now an experienced driver, and also a successful one. Every team is built around a successful driver. What does that mean? It means that the team listens to the technical feedback from the driver, he influences the new design of the car. Let me put it another way: the designers and engineers take into account the feedback from such a good driver. That car then suits his driving style more, that is the way it goes," the Austrian concluded.