Pierre Gasly found himself in hot water after struggling to keep up with his Red Bull teammate, Max Verstappen. Helmut Marko, the strong-willed advisor at Red Bull, didn’t hold back on his thoughts about Gasly’s performance and attitude during their time together on the team.
Back in 2019, Gasly was demoted to Toro Rosso after failing to match Verstappen’s speed. The final straw came after incidents at the German Grand Prix, where Gasly crashed during practice and then collided with teammate Alex Albon, who soon after replaced him at Red Bull. Despite Gasly finishing sixth in Hungary, he was lapped by the front-runners while Verstappen secured second place.
Helmut Marko later revealed that Gasly’s frustrations stemmed from an inability to accept Verstappen’s superior speed. Marko recounted how, during their time together, Gasly frequently requested changes to the car’s setup, hoping to find a magic formula to improve his performance. “He’s not an engineer. He was just running out of excuses and simply couldn’t accept that Max is just the faster guy,” Marko pointedly remarked.
Meanwhile, Red Bull has a wealth of promising young drivers waiting in the wings, such as Isack Hadjar and Arvin Lindblad. Marko clarified that the team isn’t urgently seeking a new Verstappen because, as he puts it, “Max is unique.”
Red Bull’s test of Daniel Ricciardo last summer shows they are considering all options, as Sergio Perez’s future looks uncertain. Despite his recent contract extension, Perez’s performance has dipped, putting him at risk of triggering an exit clause due to falling behind the required point threshold compared to Verstappen.
Marko has confirmed that Red Bull will evaluate its driver lineup over the summer break. He hints that another mid-season driver swap could be on the horizon, with strong candidates like Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda making their case for a spot on the team.
Helmut Marko’s comments about Pierre Gasly highlight the ongoing challenges drivers face in the high-pressure world of Formula 1. While Gasly has moved on, the scrutiny at Red Bull remains intense, with the team constantly assessing driver performance to keep their edge on the track.
