Red Bull brand Pierre Gasly performances 'unacceptable' and Austria could decide his fate

Pierre Gasly

Red Bull brand Gasly performances 'unacceptable' and Austria could decide his fate

Is time running out for the Frenchman?

Matthew Scott

Saturday 29 June 2019 09:20 Updated: 10:30

Pierre Gasly's recent performances have been branded "simply unacceptable" by Red Bull motorsport advisor Dr Helmut Marko.

Pressure is mounting on the Frenchman's shoulders as he struggles to adapt to life at Red Bull following his promotion to replace Daniel Ricciardo.

His poor performance has been highlighted by Max Verstappen's sensational form in the sister Red Bull, although Verstappen's efforts have only yielded two podiums thus far, and reports have begun to emerge that he could depart the team if they do not improve.

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Gasly's fate could be all the more urgent, however, with this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix potentially a pivotal moment in his career.

"Being a teammate of Max Verstappen is not easy: Max is an exceptional talent," Marko told the Austrian Press Agency. "But Gasly's performance and the speed that he is showing are simply unacceptable.

"The last two races, the Grands Prix of Canada and France, were far below par. The gap between Pierre and Max was too big."

Gasly finished eighth in Canada and only took a point in France by dint of Daniel Ricciardo's double penalty post-race.

Marko revealed that Gasly's car will be forensically examined following the Austrian GP. Reports have suggested that the Frenchman will be on borrowed time if not defects are found.

"It's up to us to give Gasly a feel for the car and to make sure he has confidence in it," Marko added.

"But we also have to keep in mind that we cannot deviate too far from our car's strengths.

"Finally, we will also thoroughly inspect the chassis of his RB15. Maybe something is wrong, but we don't know that yet. If we were to find something, then that is of course good news."