Sainz: Gasly the safe option for Red Bull

20 Sep 2018 11:25
8
By: Fergal Walsh

Carlos Sainz says that Pierre Gasly was chosen as Daniel Ricciardo's replacement as he was the safe option. After Ricciardo announced his shock decision to leave Red Bull at the end of the 2018 season for Renault, Red Bull was left to chose between its two juniors, Sainz and Gasly.

Sainz joined Renault towards the end of the 2017 season, and believes that his loss of 'daily touch' with the energy drink squad cost him a spot at the senior team. However, he has no harsh feelings towards Gasly, stating that the Frenchman is deserving of the promotion.

"I am convinced that in 2016 and 2017 that if there was a gap at Red Bull then I would have got it but Ricciardo and Verstappen were fixed,” he told Sky Sports.

“Then I left for Renault, and had a very good year, but inevitably I lost a bit of touch and Red Bull didn’t have as much information, so they went for the safe option with Gasly, which I fully back because he is a great driver and deserves the Red Bull chance.”

With Ricciardo joining Renault alongside Nico Hulkenberg next year, Sainz signed a deal with McLaren to partner 18-year-old Lando Norris. The Spaniard says he is looking forward to more stability, as it is the first time his contract has involved more than a single season.

“This is my first time in F1 that I will have a two-year contract. It gives me stability and it gives me confidence. The team have had a tough year and they have learnt from it. There has been the clear reaction of a team which wants to get back to winning ways.”

Replies (8)

KyalamiKid

Posts: 146
Also, RB saw that you can't beat Hulk, so not only is Gasly a saver option, he s also the better option.
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- Sep 20 2018 - 16:48
- calle.itw
  
  Posts: 6,485
  But is it a fair comparison though? Lets be real, Hartley is probably about on par with Stroll or Ericsson, at best.
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  Sep 20 2018 - 17:08
- mcbhargav
  
  Posts: 913
  I wonder why no one is even interested in Perez? He is also supposed to bring in fair amount of sponsorship. He clearly demonstrated as a better driver than Hulk.
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  Sep 20 2018 - 21:53
- calle.itw
  
  Posts: 6,485
  I think its days like Singapore thats the reason.
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  Sep 22 2018 - 12:10
blade

Posts: 341
@Calle - totally agree - Im not sure Sainz is that much better either - he's not yet on same level as GRO or MAG - big yr for the Spaniard.
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- Sep 20 2018 - 20:12
mcbhargav

Posts: 913
I think, Mclaren after the recent departures, is making some good decisions, and wish them all the best, in bringing out a decent enough car that can claim as the 4th best among the grid. At least Sainz deserves it.
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- Sep 20 2018 - 21:49
- calle.itw
  
  Posts: 6,485
  They are, but will it be enough? I really hope they are playing this for the longterm, but they are at heart a pretty impatient team. Unlike Renault, they dont really settle with slow gains.
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  Sep 23 2018 - 16:19
- boudy
  
  Posts: 1,074
  The best decision for them is to start again like they are going to do. An new lineup will help and improvements in the PU might bring them closer. However they will not be in a position to challenge for an podium on pure race pace for an long time. The need an better PU than the Renault. Not sure if Sainz is good enough to lead the team.
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  Sep 23 2018 - 23:44