Scuderia AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly has responded to Dr Helmut Marko’s claim that Max Verstappen would have outqualified him in equal machinery at the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix.
Gasly impressed many in the paddock by qualifying fifth on the grid for the season-opener, but Dr Marko seemingly downplayed his achievement by saying he believes Verstappen could have gone two or three tenths quicker.
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“I would say that Max [Verstappen] would certainly have squeezed out two or three tenths in qualifying,” Dr Marko said earlier this month.
Reacting to this comparison, Gasly has said he doesn’t “care about hypothetical stuff” and insisted the most important thing is he demonstrated he can be quick when he has a competitive car under him.
“To me, it’s, let’s say, it’s very simple,” Gasly told RacingNews365.com.
“I don’t care about hypothetical stuff. In fact, this one, this qualifying was one of the best qualifying in history for the team.
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“And the only conclusion is that if I have a fast car, I can be extremely fast. And that’s the only conclusion. Point.”
Asked about his brief stint at Red Bull in 2019, which ended with him being demoted back to the sister team and Alex Albon replacing him at the Milton Keynes-based outfit, Gasly said:
“Honestly, I’m done with the question with Red Bull. And I don’t feel like answering this anymore, because this was already two years ago. I really moved on from this.”
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