Red Bull team boss Christian Horner says Pierre Gasly was made "very aware" of the reasons why he was retained by AlphaTauri for 2021 rather than given a second chance with Red Bull Racing.
Earlier this week, Gasly was confirmed for next season by Scuderia AlphaTauri.
But the Frenchman's solid performance this year with the Faenza-based squad, marked by his surprising win at the Italian Grand Prix, led many to believe that a return to Red Bull was justified, especially in light of Alex Albon's disappointing results.
Ahead of this weekend's Emilia Romagna GP weekend, asked if he was disappointed by Red Bull's snub, Gasly said: "I’m not disappointed, I will say I’m just surprised.
"In 14 years, Seb won a race with Toro Rosso, I’m the only other driver who won race. Seb got promoted to Red Bull and won four titles with the team. So I’m just surprised I was not really considered.
"I’ve had two podiums with Toro Rosso, I think this season is going alright and on my side the only thing I can do is try and put some strong performances to give to me opportunities in the future."
But Horner says Gasly was kept informed of Red Bull's plans at the outset, insisting the 24-year-old was always seen as a better fit for sister outfit AlphaTauri.
"I think it’s been made very clear to him," Horner said. "He’s a key part of the AlphaTauri team.
"AlphaTauri has got different aspirations to Toro Rosso, it’s not purely a junior team, it’s a sister team which I’ve previously stated.
"We’re very pleased for Pierre that he’s doing a great job in that environment, he’s happy in that environment, the team are very happy with him so why break that up?
"I think that’s been made clear to him, he’s on a long-term contract with Red Bull for the next several years so we have all the information that we need on Pierre.
"He’s been made very aware throughout the discussions that his future has always laid in AlphaTauri, simply because of the evolving nature of the team and the aspirations of that team."
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