Pierre Gasly refuses to “elaborate too much” on his stint as Max Verstappen’s teammate

Alpine star Pierre Gasly came out after the British GP and spoke about Yuki Tsunoda’s poor form in the second Red Bull Racing seat. The French driver was also in the same state as Tsunoda when he was racing for the Milton Keynes-based outfit. He spoke about the issues faced by the second drivers at Red Bull, but refused to elaborate about his struggles as Verstappen's teammate.

Max Verstappen joined Red Bull Racing in 2016 after he replaced Daniil Kvyat midway through the season. While 2016 and 2017 were learning years for the Dutchman, he dominated his teammate Daniel Ricciardo in 2018, and ever since, Verstappen's teammate has underperformed in comparison to the four-time F1 champion.

Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez, Liam Lawson, and now Yuki Tsunoda have been the drivers in the second Red Bull seat since the 2018 season, and all have struggled to get close to Verstappen's performances. What's worse is the second Red Bull seat has seen Q2 & Q3 eliminations, pointless races, while Max Verstappen has taken pole positions and won races.

Yuki Tsunoda is the latest one to struggle in the second Red Bull seat ever since the Japanese driver replaced Kiwi Liam Lawson just two races into the 2025 season. Tsunoda has been in the Red Bull for 10 races and has only scored points in three, including pointless finishes in the last five races.

F1 Grand Prix of Monaco - Source: Getty

Pierre Gasly spoke about Yuki Tsunoda’s troubles, while also suggesting that the issues with the second Red Bull driver cannot be summarized in a single category. He said, via Motorsport Week:

“To be fair, I think we all get put in the same basket when it comes to the second car. But to me, things were very different to me than they were for Alex or they were for Perez. I’m not going to elaborate too much on that.

“Clearly, something is not clicking for Yuki. I just hope for him as a friend that somehow it comes together because the level there is on the grid. You know what everybody is capable of doing – it just doesn’t seem right,” added Pierre Gasly.

“I want to win with Alpine”: Pierre Gasly on whether he'll move to Red Bull amid Max Verstappen's Mercedes rumors

Max Verstappen has reportedly been in talks with Mercedes over a switch to the Silver Arrows for the 2026 season. The most recent reports suggest that the Dutchman will activate the exit clause and has agreed to a deal with the Brackley-based team.

Pierre Gasly was asked about the reports and whether he'd be willing to make a move to Red Bull if an opportunity arises. The French driver replied, via the aforementioned source:

“I’m racing for Alpine and I want to win with Alpine.”

Pierre Gasly, after the poor performance during his Red Bull team, was replaced by Alex Albon, as the French driver moved to the junior Red Bull team Alpha Tauri (now VCARB) before joining Alpine for the 2023 season.