Red Bull says F2 juniors are not ready yet to replace Gasly
Sep.9 - Formula 1 should have a re-think about its super license rules, as Red Bull's plans to bring Colton Herta to the grid next year look set to collapse.
Some teams but also F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and the FIA seem uninterested in bending the strict credentialing criteria to allow the Indycar driver to debut for AlphaTauri next year.
So intense is the speculation surrounding Indycar driver Herta that some suspect the "unwell" Pierre Gasly was only absent at Monza on Thursday to avoid the media's heat.
Pierre Gasly talks with Red Bull Racing Team Consultant Dr Helmut Marko (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
But Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko was not shy in suggesting that Herta not being able to step up to Formula 1 is a failure of the current system.
"Really fast racing cars are in Indycar and in Japanese Super Formula with strong internal competition. They are clearly undervalued compared to our junior series," he told Auto Motor und Sport.
Also clear, however, is that Red Bull is only looking towards the exciting American market for a Gasly substitute because none of the energy drink company's own juniors are ready to step up to F1.
Marko is reportedly disappointed with the F2 campaigns of Red Bull-backed Liam Lawson, Jehan Daruvala and Juri Vips.
As for Japanese Ayumu Iwasa, Marko insists: "He needs a second Formula 2 season."
The same is true of Isack Hadjar in Formula 3, although Marko said he has high hopes that the 17-year-old Frenchman is "a driver like Prost".
For those reasons, Marko is pushing hard for the FIA to make an exception for Herta, who he says is clearly ready to step up to F1.
"Formula 1 would also be happy about having an American," said the 79-year-old Austrian.
But if Herta does not get the green light, meaning Gasly does not move to Alpine, then likely new Formula 2 champion Felipe Drugovich is a frontrunner for the Renault-owned seat.
He is reportedly supported not only by Renault but one of Brazil's major banks, although the Mercedes-backed Nyck de Vries was also spotted in conversation with Alpine team management recently at Zandvoort.
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Giving dispensation without a strongly justifiable reason would open a can of worms as other drivers would also start asking for dispensations over something small or trivial, in which case double standard treatment would arise unless FIA were willing to treat all drivers equally in this regard.
However, Marko, among other people, is right that IndyCar should grant more SL pts.
Drugovich wouldn't join Alpine, but their academy driver Jack Doohan will likely get promoted.
Drugovich is more likely to become AM reserve than Alpine regular.
Who is quickNick managed by, wouldn't be Toto would it? lol
Is he not on mercs payroll.
Some juniors may have more talent and bigger balls than Gasly who is inconsistent at best
Bring on the new faces with hopefully more character instead of the grey brigade
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