Red Bull has agreed in principle that Gasly will go to Alpine as a replacement for Fernando Alonso, leaving a vacant place at AlphaTauri.
But Christian Horner has hinted that Colton Herta is the only option to replace Gasly, and that Red Bull will not release the Frenchman if the IndyCar driver cannot take his seat, forcing Alpine to look for another driver.
The problem is that Herta is not eligible for a super license under the current points system, and rival team bosses have argued that the FIA should stick to the rules and not make an exception for the American.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali confirmed to Motorsport.com that he too is of the same opinion, and that he prefers the process to be respected.
Domenicali discussed the Herta issue with FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem last weekend in Zandvoort.
Horner confirmed that he sees Herta as a potential Red Bull first team driver in the future if he proves his worth at AlphaTauri.
“I think he’s an exciting talent,” he said when asked by Motorsport.com about Herta’s potential. “He is a young American who has stood out for his talent in the United States, so it will be very interesting to see how he develops in F1.”
“And F1 is obviously growing in popularity in the US market at the moment, and having a successful US driver could be very interesting. It could be interesting for us too, in the long run.”
“I mean, we have contracts with our current drivers, but over the years AlphaTauri or Toro Rosso have been a great portfolio of drivers that we can tap into, like Sebastian [Vettel] or Max [Verstappen] or Daniel [Ricciardo].”
Regarding the situation of the super license, Horner said: “I think it’s an FIA issue, we just need clarity to know what the situation of the drivers’ points is, which we hope will come sooner rather than later. Because that plays a key role, obviously, in the driver market.
“Obviously, in terms of clearing up the points for a driver who wants to come to F1, you have to know that you have options, and if there is no option, other moves will not come into play.
Speaking about whether they had an alternative to Herta, Horner said: “I think Pierre is doing a good job at AlphaTauri. So I don’t think there would be a desire to switch if there wasn’t an interesting option available.”
The highest-placed Red Bull junior in the 2022 Formula 2 championship is Liam Lawson, who is currently fifth and close to achieving what it takes to be superlicenced. He recently completed an FP1 session with AlphaTauri at Spa-Francorchamps.
Interestingly, Red Bull Motorsport boss Helmut Marko met 2022 F2 near-champion Felipe Drugovich this Saturday in the Netherlands.
The Brazilian is not affiliated with any F1 team and could be a surprise choice if Red Bull decides to look outside its own programme. However, that meeting could have been to talk about the possibility of him contesting FP1 with AlphaTauri in his country, at Interlagos.
However, when asked by Motorsport.com if Red Bull were interested in Drugovich, Marko said: “We’re not talking to him.”
Marko also met F2 driver Enzo Fittipaldi , accompanied by his brother and Haas F1 Team reserve driver Pietro , at Zandvoort.
