Red Bull team chief Christian Horner and his lead driver Max Verstappen on Friday both told Pierre Gasly to stay put at AlphaTauri and not seek a return to the senior outfit.
Since winning at Monza last week, Gasly has said he was ambitious to join a leading team, including Red Bull who demoted him a year ago.
Speaking ahead of the Tuscan Grand Prix at Mugello this weekend, Horner suggested a return to Red Bull made little sense because he sees AlphaTauri, which changed its name from Toro Rosso for this season, “as a sister team rather than a junior team”.
“AlphaTauri is a rebranded team for this year,” said Horner. “I think their aspirations are beyond Toro Rosso’s,” Horner said.