French hopeful Pierre Gasly reveals he held talks with the new Renault F1 team over the winter, but adds that he is “100% focussed” on Red Bull at the moment and “very grateful” for its long-standing support.
Renault announced its return as a fully-fledged works outfit last December and officially confirmed Jolyon Palmer and Kevin Magnussen during its early February team launch.
With oil giant Total keen to promote a French driver, an agreement was found with Mercedes to appoint 2015 GP3 Series champion Esteban Ocon as third and reserve driver.
Speaking to F1i, Gasly, who has been on Red Bull’s junior roster since winning the 2013 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 title, explains he also was in the frame for an F1 role at Renault.
“For sure there were contacts,” the 20-year-old said. “Now, I am with Red Bull and that’s what I’ve told [motorsport advisor] Helmut [Marko]: ‘Red Bull started supporting me when I needed it the most. It’s not like everything was going to stop entirely after Eurocup but the following year clearly was a pivotal one in my career.
“They helped me graduate to the bigger series first by placing me in Formula Renault 3.5 Series; I have been promoted to a third driver role, I am spending valuable time in the simulator; they’re really preparing me for F1. So I’m very grateful for all what they’ve done, that’s why I am 100% focussed on Red Bull at the moment.”
That said, Gasly, who made his F1 testing debut in the Renault-powered Toro Rosso STR10 and Red Bull RB11 last year, admits that having a French factory team back in the sport could prove to be an enticing prospect down the road.
“You never know what can happen in a longer-term perspective. As a French driver, there’s no denying that it’s quite special to see a French team in F1. As of today, it’s way too early to make any plans though.
“There could well be some opportunities later on depending on how my career unfolds. There’s a lot riding on 2016. I must win the GP2 Series title to hope to get an F1 chance. That’ll be the triggering factor.”
After a promising, albeit sometimes frustrating, maiden season with DAMS, Gasly has switched to newcomers Prema Powerteam for a second campaign in the official feeder series of grand prix racing. The Normandy-born racer will once again dovetail his GP2 commitment with Red Bull’s third driver role.
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