Pierre Gasly has spoken about his time as a teammate to Max Verstappen at Red Bull, revealing that the team had a clear preference for the Dutch driver. Gasly was promoted to Red Bull in 2019 but only lasted 12 races before being demoted back to Toro Rosso, now known as AlphaTauri. During his time with the team, Gasly struggled to match Verstappen’s performance, finishing outside the points in two races and securing only two Top 5 results.

In contrast, Verstappen finished in the Top 5 in every race, earning three podiums and two race wins. Gasly has admitted that his situation at Red Bull was complicated and that the team’s approach to the two drivers was different. He noted that the team’s focus on Verstappen was evident, saying “it wasn’t made for two cars” and that the team’s approach worked “perfectly for Max.”

Gasly also discussed his conversations with Charles Leclerc, who was promoted to Ferrari in 2019, about the different treatment they received after joining top teams. He emphasized that Red Bull did an “incredible job” for Verstappen but noted that the approach was different for him. Despite his difficult time at Red Bull, Gasly expressed gratitude to the team, which helped him earn his first F1 victory in 2020 with the junior team, AlphaTauri.

Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff has dismissed the perception that Verstappen is the “boss” of the team, saying that all agreements are clear and that Verstappen has never made any requests. However, the team’s treatment of Verstappen’s teammates has raised questions about the team’s approach. None of Verstappen’s teammates have been able to consistently match his performance, with some being demoted or struggling to keep up.

In 2025, Verstappen had two teammates, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda, neither of whom was able to match his performance. For the 2026 season, Verstappen will have a new teammate, Isack Hadjar, who has impressed with his performance at Racing Bulls. The team’s dynamics and approach to its drivers will be closely watched, given the history of Verstappen’s teammates struggling to keep up with him.