Tost gives reason for Gasly's Red Bull disaster

Franz Tost, boss of Toro Rosso, believes that Pierre Gasly's nightmare time at Aston Martin Red Bull Racing is a result of the crashes he suffered in pre-season testing, leading to his low confidence at the team from the start of the season. Gasly only lasted 12 races at Red Bull Racing before being dropped for Alex Albon, who has been more consistent in the car than the Frenchman.

An impressive 2017, including standout results in Bahrain and Hungary led to his promotion to the senior team, but it never really felt right and Gasly was unable to put in the sort of performances required to be a Red Bull Racing driver, finishing in the top five just twice.

In comparison, Albon has managed to finish in the top five on three occasions already.

However, Tost believes it was partly down to a lack of confidence on Gasly's part, starting with the accidents he had in pre season testing in Barcelona.

He told French publication Auto Hebdo: “It’s difficult for me to say because I was not there.

“Maybe he was not comfortable with the behaviour of the car. He also had two accidents in the winter and that hurt his confidence.

“But in a world like Formula 1, you must have a mind of steel, especially when you are facing Max Verstappen."