Why Pierre Gasly had a ‘reputation for being difficult’ within Red Bull before Helmut Marko sacked him

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Pierre Gasly felt the full force of Red Bull’s notorious ruthlessness in 2019. He would last just half a season alongside Max Verstappen before a demotion back to Toro Rosso.

The Frenchman had impressed at the junior team, scoring 29 of their 33 points in 2018 – his first full season. With Daniel Ricciardo making a shock move to Renault, Red Bull continued their policy of promoting from within.

But like Alex Albon and Sergio Perez after him, Gasly struggled to get anywhere close to Verstappen’s benchmark. As the season paused for the summer break, he sat sixth in the championship with 63 points, a third of what his teammate had managed (181).

Helmut Marko had vowed to stand by Gasly but went back on his word. Three years after dropping Daniil Kvyat for Verstappen, Red Bull performed another swap.

Kvyat spent 15 months with the team, while Ricciardo, who recently lost his RB drive to Liam Lawson, was given 25 races over two years. From that perspective, Gasly may feel most aggrieved.

He proceeded to rebuild his reputation at Toro Rosso/AlphaTauri, scoring a first-ever podium in Brazil later that year before an unforgettable race win in Italy in 2020. He’s now set to become the de facto no. 1 driver at Alpine as Esteban Ocon leaves and rookie Jack Doohan joins as his replacement.

The ‘excessive’ requests Pierre Gasly made that annoyed Red Bull management

According to The Race, Red Bull staff found it ‘difficult’ to work with Gasly during his brief stay. This may have contributed to his swift exit.

He apparently demanded extremely specific tweaks to the configuration of his car. And perhaps most significantly, he ‘publicly’ challenged the team’s leadership over their issues.

He may have found the car difficult to drive as the team gravitated towards Verstappen. Gasly’s replacement Albon has likened Verstappen’s driving style to playing ‘Call of Duty’, such is the sensitivity of the steering wheel.

“He also gained a reputation for being difficult in the team, requesting changes like seat adjustments to an excessive degree and wrongly prioritising certain set-up demands that would aid specific corners but do nothing for overall laptime,” the article reads. “And he disagreed with Red Bull management – publicly at times – over where the problem areas were.”

Why Alpine apologised to Pierre Gasly after the last F1 race in Singapore

Gasly has only scored eight points in 2024 and, barring a sharp late improvement from Alpine, it will be statistically his worst season in Formula 1. His previous nadir was 23 points in 2022.

He’ll feel he’s broadly extracted the most from the troublesome A524, having outscored Ocon (five points). After signing a new multi-year contract, he’ll stick with the team through the transition to Mercedes power and the new regulations in 2026.

Alpine removed stickers from their car earlier this season as they desperately tried to shed weight. Gasly may feel that the operation requires an overhaul in light of such embarrassments.

After the Singapore Grand Prix, where he finished a wretched 17th, Alpine apologised to Gasly over the radio. They have vowed to make the car easier to drive, but it’s unclear how long that will take.