Red Bull to decide on Gasly future during summer break

Pierre Gasly says he is expecting to receive an update on his Formula 1 future from Red Bull “at some point in the summer break”.

Gasly has turned in a series of impressive displays this season for AlphaTauri and is likely to stay put at the Faenza outfit for at least another year alongside rookie teammate Yuki Tsunoda.

Red Bull already has Max Verstappen signed up to a long-term deal and is expected to offer Sergio Perez an extension to his initial one-year contract after the Mexican’s strong performances across the opening 10 days.

Asked for an update about his future ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, Gasly replied: “I think it’s pretty clear on my end, it’s in Red Bull’s hands.

“Max is signed for next year in the top team, Sergio I think has a one-year contract, so we’ll see what happens there and then what we do going forward together.

“I’m obviously contracted with them for some more time and I’m pretty confident we should get some answers at some point in the summer break, or after the summer break.”

The 25-year-old Frenchman, who claimed a podium finish in Baku, indicated that he would like to return to Red Bull but revealed that the Milton Keynes squad is keen to retain a ‘team leader’ figure in AlphaTauri for next year.

“They want a leader in AlphaTauri to really push the team forward and bring this team up,” Gasly explained. “I think there is a great working relationship and a real will to push AlphaTauri forward.

“As a driver, you always want to be in the best car and fighting for the best positions and that’s what we are discussing. Ultimately, on my side, I’m only focusing on performing weekend after weekend and race after race and show my potential.

“It’s in their hands whether they want me to step up, or whether they want to stick with the pair that they are having. It depends on how Sergio is performing and how they are planning the future for AlphaTauri.

“We are discussing a lot of things and I think generally it’s really positive. It’s always better when there’s communication and when things are going well, but at the moment there is no more answer than that.

“But I expect some more news over the next few weeks.”