Pierre Gasly Opens Up on Red Bull’s Broken Promises and the Politics That Shaped His F1 Career

A former Red Bull Formula 1 driver has spoken candidly about experiencing a sudden change of direction from the team early in his career, shedding light on how internal politics can shape and derail, a driver’s path to the top.

Red Bull enters the 2026 season with a dramatically different leadership structure than a year ago, with long-time figures Christian Horner and Helmut Marko no longer part of the organisation. Despite the upheaval, the Milton Keynes squad has managed to retain Max Verstappen amid strong interest from Mercedes, though the coming season featuring sweeping regulation changes and a new teammate in Isack Hadjar, could prove decisive in determining Verstappen’s long-term future with the team.

Many of Verstappen’s former teammates have suggested that Red Bull’s cars were increasingly developed around the four-time world champion, a reality that may explain why so few drivers have managed to thrive in the second seat alongside him.

One of the earliest casualties of that dynamic was Pierre Gasly. The Frenchman was promoted from Toro Rosso to the senior Red Bull team for 2019 to replace Daniel Ricciardo, despite having just one full Formula 1 season under his belt following Ricciardo’s move to Renault.

However, Gasly says his journey to F1 should have happened much sooner. After winning the GP2 championship in 2016, he believed he had been promised an immediate promotion. Instead, Red Bull reversed course, keeping him as a reserve driver at the start of the 2017 season before finally handing him an F1 debut later that year at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Reflecting on that period in an interview with Lawrence Barretto for F1’s Off the Grid, Gasly admitted the experience was deeply frustrating.

“It was so hard to take because I was told, ‘If you win the GP2 championship, you’re going to get a shot in Formula 1,’” he said. “Then you realise there’s more to F1 politics, money and it felt like a slap in the face. I thought, ‘What more do I need to do?’”

Despite eventually earning his opportunity at the senior team, Gasly struggled to match Verstappen and became the first in a growing list of drivers to be demoted back to Red Bull’s junior squad mid-season.

In 2023, Gasly chose to leave the Red Bull system altogether, joining Alpine a move he believes still offers him the best chance to fulfil his ambition of becoming a Formula 1 world champion.

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