Verstappen and Gasly to be treated the same

Red Bull motorsport advisor Dr Helmut Marko has revealed Max Verstappen and new teammate Pierre Gasly will both be given the same opportunities to win races in 2019.

Gasly is stepping up from Toro Rosso after Daniel Ricciardo joined Renault for the 2019 season and although he will need time to settle in it’s clear that Red Bull want him to compete immediately.

"Gasly comes as a youngster," Marko told Motorsport-Magazin.

"So it's very clear that he has to adhere to the rules of Red Bull Racing.

"It's easy: Max is much more familiar with the team. Gasly is free to race, he just needs to show performance. They are equal."

Max Verstappen finished the season very strongly winning the Mexican Grand Prix and was within touching distance of victory in Brazil until he collided with Esteban Ocon.

Marko added how the second half of the season had given the team a strong sense of optimism saying: “The second half of the season makes us extremely positive about the development of the chassis, Clearly we have the best.

"Reliability on the Red Bull side has improved, even from Renault. Especially has Max, since Paul Ricard made no mistakes since Paul Ricard."