Gasly Still Wants A Proper Chat With Marko About ‘Unfair’ 2019 Red Bull Demotion

Posted on November 10, 2023 | by Charley Williams Pierre Gasly hasn’t had the easiest of F1 journeys. It feels like a lifetime ago, but the Red Bull swap saga of 2019 still haunts us to this day. And, although Pierre says he’s closed that chapter of his life, he hopes to one day sit down with Helmut Marko and lay everything out on the table.  Back then, after spending a year in the Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri), Gasly was announced to partner Max Verstappen at Red Bull following the surprise departure of Daniel Ricciardo. Pierre came under increasing pressure during his time with the team, particularly at the Hungarian GP when he was lapped by his teammate. Despite that, the Red Bull bosses insisted he would see out his contract until the end of the season. But weeks later, it was announced he would be demoted back to Toro Rosso, swapping with Alex Albon. Despite putting it all behind him, stealing a race win a year later and moving from AlphaTauri to Alpine in 2023, speaking on the Beyond The Grid podcast, he said he’d still like to talk to the Red Bull bosses about the “unfair” demotion. “No,” he said when asked if he had spoken to Helmut Marko since, “I hope one day we get the chance to, but I know deep inside, they’re smart people. “They might have their own opinions on certain things, but they are clear things which were obvious. It’s the way that it was. “It wasn’t really fair, but anyway, that’s the way it was. I’ve learned as well that the sport is not always fair. “I’ve really sort of closed the chapter when I left AlphaTauri and opened a brand new story with Alpine, and I think I’ve reached a level of experience and skills and mindfulness right now, which, thanks to my previous experiences, allow me to be better today than I was yesterday.” Do you think Pierre moving away from the Red Bull family was the best choice for him?