Pierre Gasly claims that he had \u201cno support\u201d at Red Bull and was not \u201cgiven the tools to perform\u201d in his half-season stint with the team.<\/p>\n
Gasly was the first driver to fall in what has become a long line of teammates to struggle up against Max Verstappen at Red Bull<\/a>. Gasly claims he \u201ccouldn\u2019t show\u201d his \u201cpotential\u201d in a team which was \u201cvery much supporting\u201d Verstappen, albeit with good reason.<\/p>\n Pierre Gasly: Red Bull \u2018were not happy, but I\u2019m not happy too\u2019<\/p>\n Gasly impressed on the junior scene as part of the Red Bull stable. He won the GP2 title in 2016, and finished runner-up in Super Formula the following year.<\/p>\n By that point, he was making his Formula 1 debut with Red Bull\u2019s junior team \u2013 then known as Toro Rosso \u2013 at the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix.<\/p>\n After a season and a bit with the team, Gasly got the nod to replace Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull. Ricciardo had made the shock decision to leave for a 2019 Renault seat.<\/p>\n \u201cRight after Budapest, Daniel announced he was leaving,\u201d Gasly recalled via Off The Grid. \u201cI remember arriving in Greece for my holiday, and it was like, \u2018Whoa, Daniel is going\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cRed Bull had Carlos Sainz as an option and they had me. It\u2019s between Sainz and myself. The phone rang and Helmut [Marko] told me: \u2018Okay, you\u2019re a Red Bull Racing driver at the start of next year\u2019 \u2013 this was six months into my first [full] season in F1.\u201d<\/p>\n Sadly, Gasly was in that seat only until the summer break. Having struggled to shine compared to Verstappen \u2013 registering a best result of fourth at Silverstone \u2013 Gasly was sent back to Toro Rosso.<\/p>\n His Red Bull Racing experience is one which stings for Gasly.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not going to lie, it was sad,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201c2019, my second year in Formula 1 \u2013 there was no support from anywhere, in a very big team which is very much supporting Max \u2013 for good reasons, because he\u2019s put on the results.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I\u2019m starting with a fresh engineer coming from Formula E who didn\u2019t have experience in F1. So it was a strange dynamic. I wasn\u2019t really given the tools to really perform.<\/p>\n \u201cI tried to fight my own way because I wanted, and at the end of the day I\u2019m there to, perform. They were not happy, but I\u2019m not happy too because I could see I couldn\u2019t show my potential.\u201d<\/p>\n More on Red Bull from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n 11 F1 driver demotions just as brutal as Liam Lawson\u2019s swap<\/a><\/p>\n Hit or miss? Rating Red Bull\u2019s previous in-season driver swaps<\/a><\/p>\n Gasly re-built his career impressively at the Red Bull second team, which included taking his maiden grand prix win in Monza, 2020.<\/p>\n No pathway emerged for a Red Bull Racing return, so Gasly left the fold to join Alpine in 2023, where he has twice made the podium.<\/p>\n A new era looms for Alpine in F1 2026. No longer running a Renault engine, Alpine becomes a Mercedes customer.<\/p>\n The Mercedes engine is a popular pick to start out strong as both the chassis and engine regulations undergo widespread changes.<\/p>\n Alpine ended 2025 rock bottom of the Constructors\u2019 Championship, but Gasly is optimistic of a vast change in fortunes as the new rules take hold for F1 2026.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very optimistic on the car we are putting together,\u201d Gasly confirmed to PlanetF1.com and other accredited media. \u201cChassis side, engine wise, I think everything is looking good.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are hitting all our targets, so very excited for \u201926.\u201d<\/p>\n Additional reporting by Mat Coch and Thomas Maher<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n