Carlos Sainz is not the only driver who’s already ruled out Red Bull move if Max Verstappen leaves

Follow us on Google Discover

One of the biggest talking points heading into the British Grand Prix has been the future of Max Verstappen at Red Bull.

It comes after a difficult weekend for the team at their home race in Austria, where Verstappen failed to finish after being taken out three corners into the race by Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

Before that, Red Bull were unable to match McLaren and were even behind Ferrari when it came to qualifying despite having finished second at the previous race in Canada.

Questions are being asked over whether the Milton Keynes squad can provide a better car next year, amid talks that Verstappen could make a move to Mercedes.

Toto Wolff has made no secret about wanting Verstappen in his team over the years, but it would come at a cost to Red Bull, who would lose their star driver.

There is plenty of talent to choose from, but Carlos Sainz has already ruled out a move to Red Bull and now another driver has decided to take his name out of the hat when speaking to Motorsport Total.

Pierre Gasly rules out return to Red Bull if Max Verstappen leaves

During the Thursday media sessions, Pierre Gasly was asked whether he would be tempted by a return to Red Bull and responded: “I drive for Alpine and I want to win with Alpine.”

Gasly raced for Red Bull for 12 races before he was replaced by Alex Albon after struggling to match Verstappen in the same car.

The Frenchman would later find success at AlphaTauri when he won the 2020 Italian GP for the team at Monza, and would later switch to Alpine from 2023.

Gasly denying that he would race for Red Bull adds to the speculation over who they would get to replace him, should Verstappen want to activate a clause in his current contract.

Pierre Gasly thinks we will learn ‘quite soon’ what Verstappen’s plans are

Rumours that Verstappen would leave Red Bull are not new, given that they were thrown around last year at the height of the controversy surrounding team principal Christian Horner.

Verstappen’s camp wants Horner to have less control over Red Bull, while Gasly believes it is natural for a driver to look at his options while the current team he’s with is not performing.

“Every driver wants the best car there is, and he doesn’t get that at the moment. I think it’s normal for him to look at his options and think about what’s possible after that. After all, he is a four-time world champion,” said Gasly.

He added that we will probably “learn quite soon” what Verstappen’s plans for the future are and whether he decides to leave Red Bull.