Gasly vs Verstappen: the Alonso syndrome?

With nearly three times fewer points than his teammate at mid-season, the conclusion is clear: Pierre Gasly has not managed to exploit his Red Bull or is not up to the level. Lagging behind the three top teams in both qualifying and races, the Frenchman has not managed to fit into the plans of his team, which was counting on him to get involved in the battle between the top six drivers.

If it is easy to point out the lack of level of the French, his successful past counterbalances this criticism and many factors can explain his lack of competitiveness, starting with the “Alonso syndrome.”

Too strong! These words are easily associated with Verstappen’s current level. His team, the drivers, the media, the public, everyone is unanimous behind the Dutchman’s performance. Pierre Gasly hasn’t missed a thing and has bitterly observed that all the attention is turning to his young teammate while an ever-growing pressure weighs on his shoulders.

Like an ugly duckling, the factors that help an average driver become a good one evaporate as the season progresses. Pierre Gasly seems to have burned his wings in the constant comparison game with his teammate for whom everything succeeds. This situation strangely reminds us of the history of a certain Fernando Alonso, whose various teammates clearly struggled to shine once they became the Spaniard’s teammates. In this situation, we can mention the Ferrari years with Massa and Räikkönen, Jenson Button at McLaren, and of course Stoffel Vandoorne.

The Alonso syndrome, or when a driver rallies an entire team to his cause to the detriment of his teammate.

An excessively number 1 status?

Like Alonso at Ferrari or McLaren, Verstappen is the king of his team. Daniel Ricciardo was not mistaken last year when he turned his back on Red Bull, observing the Dutchman’s control over the team.

Number 1 uncontested, he is at the center of attention both in the media and in the sport. Endowed with a formidable character, the Dutchman seems difficult to shake during his rare underperformances. He imposes his settings and areas of development. With undeniable talent, Max Verstappen is a fierce driver who, beyond his indestructible mentality, possesses exceptional driving skills, acquired over many years of karting. However, similar to his hierarchy Horner and Marko, Max Verstappen seems not to engage in emotions, relegating human relations to the background. By way of comparison, let’s remember Stoffel Vandoorne, a driver who excelled in all promotion formulas and quickly found himself considered devoid of talent at McLaren alongside Fernando Alonso.

A permanent comparison

To compare oneself to the best, the comparison is inevitably unflattering. Whether you are the world’s No. 2, you will inevitably be judged as less good than No. 1.

Regularly and logically compared to Verstappen both in qualifying and in the race, the observation is unequivocal, the Frenchman was clearly at a disadvantage. With supposedly the same car, the lagging driver thus seems at fault for the performance gap that separates him from his teammate.

The consequences are twofold and opposite. Indeed, while one of the drivers gains confidence and feels supported by his team, the other is in a vicious circle where confidence and integration within the team crumble. The situation once again resembles Fernando Alonso’s last years in F1, boasting about constantly outperforming his different teammates while having control over the car settings.

Verstappen on Gasly: He may be following the direction taken more by my side of the garage

The focus in the hands of the charismatic leader

Each driver has a different driving style, and the settings to be applied to the single-seaters must be adjusted accordingly to allow the potential of each driver to be expressed on the track.

Yes, but there you have it, with a team that only has eyes for Verstappen, it seems that just like Alonso back in the day, the engineers and those in charge of improving performance are focused on the Dutchman rather than the young Frenchman.

If Pierre Gasly’s driving talents are known, it seems evident that he never managed to master his Red Bull as he should. It was clearly designed around Max Verstappen’s driving style, and without a comparable style, his teammate was unable to adapt to the car and also assert his decisions to improve his personal performance.

If the two teammates get along well on a personal level, the exchange of information and technical collaboration do not seem to have been at the heart of the discussions, as the Dutchman indicated earlier in the season: « I am not here to observe him. We are teammates. I have not felt a significant difference in terms of work. Everyone has already helped him a lot to try to get the best out of him.»

And when asked if he helped the Norman, Max Verstappen replies: « I always try to find the best settings for myself. As mentioned in the media, he might be following a bit more the direction taken by my side of the garage. »

Mental weakness of Gasly in an environment mixing contempt and being sidelined or lack of support from his team? It will probably be difficult for us to know. In any case, the former and future Toro Rosso driver will need to show strong character to prove his qualities as a driver and play his last card.

A growing and continuous pressure

It must be admitted that Pierre Gasly was immediately under pressure after the two off-track incidents during pre-season testing in Barcelona. The team clearly expressed their dissatisfaction and relied on the Norman to set things right while avoiding any further incidents. The pressure only increased with the disappointing performances and comparisons with Verstappen.

Automobile racing is linked to taking risks. That was the challenge for Pierre Gasly, who couldn’t afford any mistakes when it came to going off track. The risk-taking was limited, as was the on-track attack.

With a Max Verstappen who regularly expresses his admiration for Fernando Alonso, it seems easy to identify many shared personality traits that, beyond a formidable efficiency on track, inevitably create compatibility issues with his teammates.