F1 star admits Red Bull U-turn was like 'a slap in the face'

A former star of the Red Bull F1 team has opened up on what it was like to be the victim of a U-turn at the team in the early stages of his career.

Red Bull head into 2026 with a very different lineup of personnel compared to this time last year, with major players Christian Horner and Helmut Marko both no longer part of the squad.

The new and improved version of the Milton Keynes-based outfit have just about managed to hold onto Max Verstappen after rumours of a potential interest in Mercedes, but this season will be pivotal to whether the Dutchman stays with Red Bull into 2027 and beyond.

With new regulations and a new team-mate in the form of Isack Hadjar, Verstappen will be tested as he is forced to adapt to a new era at Red Bull.

Many of his past team-mates have claimed the team cater the car to the now four-time champion, something which could explain why so many drivers have tried and failed to live up to the of expectations the full-time seat beside him.

How F1 'politics' played a role in Gasly's Red Bull career

One victim of the second Red Bull seat is Pierre Gasly.

The Frenchman was selected from the junior F1 team to replace Daniel Ricciardo at the main squad with only one full season behind him after the Aussie opted to move to Renault for 2019.

But according to Gasly, he was promised a seat in F1 much earlier.

The now 29-year-old made his F1 debut with Toro Rosso at the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix, but didn't secure a full-time seat until 2018.

After securing the GP2 title in 2016, he claims Red Bull and Marko did a U-turn on their promise that he would instantly be rewarded with a shot in F1.

Instead of an immediate promotion, Gasly remained as the reserve driver at the start of the 2017 campaign.

Speaking to Lawrence Barretto about how that felt for F1's Off the Grid series, Gasly said: “It was so hard to take because I was told, ‘ok, if you win the GP2 championship, you’re going to get a shot in Formula 1’.

“There’s more in F1 and politics and money and it was like a slap in my face where I thought, ‘ok what do I need to do more?’

“I get that mentality that’s saying. ‘I'll get my shot’”.

And though his shot came at the main team, Gasly was the first in a long list of drivers to be demoted back down to the junior squad mid-season, having failed to match up to Verstappen.

In 2023, Gasly made the decision to leave the Red Bull family as a whole, making the switch to Alpine, the team that he still believes can hand him the chance to become world champion.

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