Newly confirmed by AlphaTauri for 2021, Pierre Gasly admits to being "surprised" that he wasn't recalled by Red Bull.

"I'm not disappointed, I will say I'm just surprised," he replied, when asked at Imola today if he was disappointed not to be promoted back to the 'big team'.

"In fourteen years, Seb (Vettel) won a race with Toro Rosso, I'm the only other driver who won a race.

"Seb got promoted to Red Bull and won four titles with the team," he continued. "So I'm just surprised I was not really considered.

"I've had two podiums with Toro Rosso, I think this season is going alright and on my side the only thing I can do is try and put some strong performances to give to me opportunities in the future.

"It's the only thing I can do," he added. "Everything is sorted, I don't really want to think about this any more. I need to perform as much as I can for AlphaTauri, I'm happy to be here and I'm just focused on this weekend and trying to get the best result I can here."

Current incumbent of the second Red Bull seat is Alex Albon, who was promoted to the big team last year after the Austrian outfit opted to demote Gasly after the Frenchman was unable to give teammate Max Verstappen a run for his money.

Albon is currently on notice, Helmut Marko and Christian Horner having told the Thai that unless he can close the gap to Verstappen he is out.

"They have their strategy," said Gasly when asked the reasoning behind Red Bull's decision. "It's up to them. If you want a better answer, it's better to ask them straightaway.

"But, from my side, it's been made clear to me I will continue already since quite a while with this team. I'm not disappointed, I think we're performing on a great level, I'm able to show my potential, I'm able to show my speed, my skills.

"I'm 24-years-old," he continued, "obviously my goal is to fight at the front and one day to fight for a championship, but at the moment I just need to perform and do the best job I can in the team I am in.

"I'm not disappointed I'm really happy to continue with AlphaTauri for another year. I'll keep doing my very best for this team."

Check out our Friday gallery from Imola, here.