Red Bull has to “go control, alternate, delete” with Pierre Gasly and “start again”, according to Christian Horner, amid the youngster’s difficult start to life with the team.
Gasly joined Red Bull for 2019 as a replacement for Renault-bound Daniel Ricciardo but has struggled for overall pace, consistency and results through the opening nine grands prix.
Gasly has yet to out-qualify team-mate Max Verstappen and has scored only 43 points compared to the 126 amassed by the Dutch racer.
Gasly ran ahead of slow-starting Verstappen on the opening lap in Austria but was passed by the sister car at Turn 9 and from there mustered only seventh.
Verstappen, who went on to win the race, finished a lap ahead of Gasly.
“Pierre is having a tough time at the moment, we’re doing our best to support him, I think he just needs a reset,” said Horner.
“I think we have got to somehow go ‘control alt delete’ in his head and start again.
“He is a quick driver. The problem he has got is that Max is delivering every week, and that puts more pressure on him to perform, but we’re sticking by him.
“We still believe in him and we’ll give him all the support we can to try and nurture the talent we know he has.”
Red Bull, and sister team Toro Rosso, has previously demoted or dropped drivers struggling for form, but Horner has stressed that such a scenario is not under consideration regarding Gasly.
“There is no intention to change Pierre,” said Horner.
“He’s our driver, we’re going to work with him, we will try to get the best out of him.
“He’s having a tough time at the moment but we will do our best to support him through it.”
