Pierre Gasly admitted he was not shocked by news of a new Red Bull contract for Sergio Perez, but says he is now considering "all options" for his own future.
The AlphaTauri racer struggled in his brief stint with the top team in 2019, but has shone since and has made no secret of his desire for a second shot in a Red Bull. But that seems unlikely to happen now the Milton Keynes outfit has chosen to keep Perez for two more seasons alongside Max Verstappen.
With the door all but closed to a second chance with the top team, Gasly will have to look elsewhere if he is to compete for race wins and titles, as is his dream. Speaking for the first time since Perez's new contract was announced, the Frenchman was honest when telling reporters he was now looking elsewhere.
"At the moment, for sure, beyond 2023, I consider all options as I don't have anything beyond that," he said when questioned on the subject by Autosport. He went on to add that Red Bull have expressed a desire for him to remain with the programme beyond the expiry of his current contract, which expires at the end of 2023.
"So for now, we'll see," he added. "These are things we need to discuss with Helmut [Marko]. Obviously they want to keep me, and they want to keep me in the programme. But as I say, we need to see how to make this work, and normal conversations are ongoing."
On learning his Red Bull future with plenty of advance notice, Gasly later added: "I think it's good. It's always good to have clarity and to know what's going on. You don't want to end up in a situation where in November or December, you then know things are happening. So on that side, it's better."
And the 26-year-old was magnanimous in admitting Perez's performances since joining Red Bull have been worthy of his new deal. "To me, it's logical. It's not like it was a surprise because I'm a very objective person. And based on what they expect from the second driver, Perez ticks all the boxes," said Gasly.
"He is doing an amazing season. He's performing very well this season. He's fast, some backing financially, good experience, and he's a good fit for the team. So it's not like it was a surprise at all for me.
"But obviously, on the other side, the impact it has on my career and with the ambitions that I have is obviously affected. So that's what we're discussing at the moment with Helmut, to obviously find what's best for all of us, and how do we go forward from there."
