Red Bull motorsport boss Helmut Marko sees Pierre Gasly remaining at AlphaTauri for the foreseeable future as the Faenza-based squad and the Frenchman form the perfect combination.
After a spell at Red Bull as Max Verstappen's teammate in 2019 that proved disappointing, Gasly was demoted back to the energy drink company's sister team in the second half of that season.
Ever since that switch, the 25-year-old's performance has gone crescendo, allowing Gasly to become one of F1's strongest midfield racers, a status that allowed to be in the right place at the right time last year when he enjoyed a shock maiden F1 win in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
Gasly's form this year, which he showcased again last weekend in Baku where he finished third, has led to rumours that Alpine has taken a keen interest in him.
But Marko doubted the innuendo, insisting his driver is under contract with Red Bull for two more years, and the Austrian sees no reason for Gasly to exit AlphaTauri in the near term.
©AlphaTauri
"He’s always on top of his game and in top form," Marko told Auto Motor und Sport. "With AlphaTauri, the package fits perfectly. The combination is a great fit.
"We still have a contract that goes for two more years. I don’t know where the talk about Renault came from again."
Marko says Gasly's persona, in addition to his talent, blends well with AlphaTauri and its fashion brand.
"As a fashionable Frenchman, Pierre is the ideal ambassador for AlphaTauri," he said.
"But what is strong is his performance in the car. He lost power in the race in Baku, but the fact that he kept Leclerc behind him was quite a great performance."
Looking to the future, Marko also addressed the status of Red Bull's roster of juniors which appeared to suffer a lack of young talent at one point last year. The Austrian said that was not currently the case.
"We have a great pool of drivers," said the 78-year-old. "It has been written that we don’t have any new blood.
"[Juri] Vips wins at will in Formula 2 when the car holds up. [Liam] Lawson is absolutely up there. You can only push him back with 10-second penalties.
"So there’s a lot of talent coming from our own ranks who want to drive the Red Bull."
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