Frederic Vasseur now considering ‘incredibly talented’ driver for Ferrari who Max Verstappen loves

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Ferrari now have a reported interest in hiring Pierre Gasly as Charles Leclerc’s teammate and he’s got a big fan in three-time world champion Max Verstappen.

Charles Leclerc’s long-term future is sewn up for years to come, but Carlos Sainz is still sweating over his future with Ferrari.

Pierre Gasly is a name that’s now been linked with the Spaniard’s seat given Frederic Vasseur is a fan of the 27-year-old and Red Bull star Max Verstappen has previously lauded his old teammate.

Although more than half of the current Formula 1 grid are out of contract this winter, a lot of the top seats are now spoken for.

McLaren and Mercedes will be breathing a sigh of relief that they’re not involved in the potential dogfight that could break out over drivers.

Red Bull and Ferrari can both rely on their star drivers for years to come but may be eyeing a new second driver for 2025.

The 27-year-old Pierre Gasly seems like a solid option for Ferrari and Verstappen believes he’s one of the best drivers out there.

The pair were teammates at Red Bull for just 12 races in 2019 before being sent back to Toro Rosso.

He spent two more seasons at AlphaTauri before making the move to Alpine last year.

However, his future is far from certain with the French team and that could pave the way for him to jump up the grid to the pride of Italy.

Verstappen raves about Ferrari target Gasly

Speaking at the Honda Racing Thanks Day in 2022 and saying goodbye to the 27-year-old before he left the Red Bull group, Verstappen said: “Pierre, we go way back. We already started racing against each other early on in go-karting, and then of course we both became part of the Red Bull family.

“We became teammates as well in Formula 1, and I know you’re incredibly talented.

“You work really hard for everything, to achieve everything you have done already so far. You’ve been a real team leader as well at AlphaTauri, which I have a lot of respect for, but I also understand your new challenge.

“It’s been great to have you as a part of the whole family because it’s two teams but it’s one big family. But I’m also really excited for you, for the future, and especially [for] the coming years.

“Like you said before, maybe our paths will cross again. We are all very young still – Checo’s a little bit older!

“You’re an amazing driver, and I really wish you all the best, but we’ll still see each other around anyway.

“[I] just wanted to say that to you, and I really hope that next year already will be a great start for you in your new chapter.”

Gasly could leave Alpine at the end of 2024

Ferrari will be considering several options to replace Sainz if he leaves and Verstappen’s comments on Gasly should give them some encouragement that he’s the real deal.

Alpine aren’t in the best position right now, and it’s been suggested that the best-case scenario for them might be to let one of their drivers go.

Gasly has been tipped to get a ‘decent drive’ for 2025, while his teammate Esteban Ocon is near the top of Audi’s list of potential drivers.

It would be fascinating to see what Gasly could do in a top car after years at AlphaTauri and Alpine.

He wasn’t quite ready for his stint at Red Bull but looks like a much more well-rounded racer right now.