Pierre Gasly, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel centerpieces of the 2023 transfer market

This is the little phrase that went unnoticed in Miami, where the media were busy commenting on the kitsch and delusions of grandeur of the new site of the world championship, sometimes the refusal of Lewis Hamilton to get rid of his jewelry.

Christian Horner, however, probably sealed the keystone of the 2023 plateau by declaring himself ready to roll out the red carpet for Sergio Pérez. « He does a great job.dropped the team manager of Milton Keynes to The Athletic. Everyone is happy with him in the team. If we had to make a decision today, of course we would like to extend it. As long as he does what he does, it will be a no-brainer. »

The message was as much addressed to the Mexican as to Pierre Gasly, who is watching without admitting the slightest misstep from the Mexican to bounce back from AlphaTauri to Red Bull next year. He knows the deadline, and she’s tight. The team’s special adviser, Helmut Marko, has set it for this summer. The decision will be made after the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 31, and it will fall before the Belgian Grand Prix, contested three weeks later. Exactly like in 2019, when the Norman had received a call from the Austrian to inform him of his demotion at Toro Rosso, the former name of Alpha Tauri. But can the Norman hope that history will be written in the opposite direction?

Pérez’s good numbers

For the time being clearly not, because the deal promises to be a formality for « Checo », who does what is asked of him – to be a good number 2 – without flinching. He even does it better than in 2021, when he had not existed in 22 direct confrontations against the Dutchman in the qualifying round (2-20), nor weighed more in the race (190 points against 395.5). This year, Sergio Pérez is not really closer to his leader in pure performance, but in terms of places on the starting grid because Red Bull is only rivaled by Ferrari. At 0″4 from the Batavian since 2021, « Checo » is doing better than Gasly, who sailed 0″8 behind MV33 in 2019, or Albon, relegated to 0″6 in 2020.

His total points in the championship completes this good impression: with 66 against 85 at « Super Max », he shows 77% of his leader’s total. And even if this ratio is flattering because he only gave up once against two to Max Verstappen, it is clearly better than the 50% of his direct opponent, Carlos Sainz, vis-à-vis Charles Leclerc at Ferrari . Ultimate argument, he is first there to boost Red Bull in the constructors’ world championship and the energy drink firm is closer than ever to its first collective title since 2013, only six units behind the Scuderia.

Only option for Gasly: ​​honor his contract

Results are one thing, but the Mexican also puts his style into it, as during the restart at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where he carefully scanned his mirrors to ward off any attack from Carlos Sainz, who could have posed a threat to the driver of the RB18 n°1, who only had to take care of the leader Charles Leclerc. All this while sacrificing its own interests and in perfect contrast to what happened during the last Grand Prix in Miami. At the start, Carlos Sainz didn’t even dive to the left of the track to block Max Verstappen’s way. Sergio Pérez does the job and it also shows in relation to Sainz. In short, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko are smiling when they hear Mattia Binotto claim that he has the best pair of drivers.

Under these conditions, we understand that Red Bull will not have much else to offer Pierre Gasly – who will understand it well without necessarily living it well – than to honor the contract which will expire at the end of 2023.

This weekend, a new, more diffuse signal came from another corner of the paddock, in the form of a game of three-cushion billiards which is preparing on the side of Alpine and Aston Martin. From a game of musical chairs more precisely, since a driver could find himself without a seat. The promotion of the great Australian hope Oscar Piastri, champion of all the skimmed categories as a rookie in 2019, 2020 and 2021, took shape with the Blues at the same time as the departure of veteran Fernando Alonso, who until then remained an embarrassing subject.

Vettel in Indycar?

Sebastian Vettel gave a serious helping hand to Laurent Rossi, the tricolor team principal, by delivering two confidences: he has not yet decided if he wants to drive next year in Formula 1 and prefers « real American circuits » type Road America. It was enough for Indycar driver Graham Rahal to tell the German via Twitter that it would be an « honor » for his father’s team to accept a test at the circuit near Elkaert Lake . What his father, Bobby Rahal, a former winner of 500 Indy, hastened to validate.

In short, Sebastian Vettel would be willing to let go of his wheel with the Greens and make room for Fernando Alonso, for whom it would be an honorable base rather than finding himself on foot, he who at almost 41 years old sees himself staying in the world. Grand Prizes »two or three years« . Otherwise, we do not see where the double world champion could land because we display « complete » at Mercedes, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and a priori at McLaren and of course at Red Bull.