Pierre Gasly says that it is no surprise that Sergio Perez has signed a new deal with the Red Bull team and that he is discussing his options with Helmut Marko.

Perez is driving very well indeed for Red Bull this season and any doubts he would not be kept past the end of this campaign were put to bed last week with him signing a deal that will last until the end of 2024.

That, then, means the likes of Gasly may well not drive for the Milton Keynes-based outfit until 2025 at the earliest with Max Verstappen there deep into the 2020s on a long-term deal, and the Frenchman, along with some other Red Bull programme drivers, could be forgiven for thinking it might be time to move out of the Bulls family.

Speaking ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix this weekend, Gasly revealed that the announcement on Perez came as no surprise to him, given the job the Mexican is doing, but he did reveal he's talking to Helmut Marko over his own future:

“It’s not like it was a surprise because I’m a very objective person and based on what they want from a second driver, Perez ticks all the boxes.

“He is doing an amazing season, he is performing very well this season: Fast, has some back-up financially, good experience and he is a good fit for the team. So it’s not like it was a surprise at all for me."

“The impact it has on my career and with the ambitions that I have, it’s obviously affected it,” said Gasly. “So that’s what we are discussing at the moment with Helmut to obviously find what’s best for all of us and how do we go forward from there.”

JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA - MARCH 27: Pierre Gasly of France and Scuderia AlphaTauri prepares to drive on the grid during the F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit on March 27, 2022 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)

Gasly did not rule out staying at AlphaTauri for longer but, of course, he wants to be at the front like any driver and in a car that can deliver him that.