Verstappen comparison unfair on Gasly - Horner

Red Bull team principal says he will not pile pressure on Pierre Gasly in 2019 by comparing the Frenchman to Max Verstappen from the off in his debut season with the team. Gasly follows the likes of Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel in graduating from Toro Rosso next year.

Gasly is 14th in the drivers' standings, with 29 points accrued across five scoring races – including a fine fourth place in Bahrain – Honda's best result since returning to F1 in 2015.

Ricciardo's departure to Renault has opened the door for Gasly to make the step up after several years of being linked with the top team under the Red Bull umbrella.

Horner has backed Gasly to deliver, but says he will not be tasked with bettering Verstappen until he gains familiarity with the team.

"I think it will be a challenge for Pierre but one that he's up for," Horner told Motorsport.

"He's come through the same programme as Max and he's here because we believe he's the best upcoming talent and he deserves that opportunity in the car. So we're expecting big things from Pierre next year.

"I think it would be unfair to expect him to be immediately challenging Max. I think you got to give him time to settle into the team."

Verstappen has dominated the qualifying battle with Ricciardo in 2018 – despite the Australian's poles in Monaco and Mexico – although Gasly has a similarly impressive record against Brendon Hartley, having averaged almost a second quicker on Saturdays than his Toro Rosso stable-mate across the season's 19 races.

"I think Max has hit a very rich vein of form and he's one of the most outstanding talents in Formula 1 at the moment," added Horner.

"Obviously Daniel has struggled in qualifying against Max this year, but their race pace has been very comparative. Next year we need to give Pierre time, but I think that he has great ability.

"He's only one year into F1, but he's put some great drives in. If you look at Bahrain, Monaco and Hungary in particular, he has had a number of stand-out races."

MORE: Ricciardo clarifies 'I'm done' comments after Mexico DNF
MORE: Verstappen excited for Dutch GP deal