Gasly's demotion 'not unfair' in Ricciardo's eyes

Just a year ago, Daniel Ricciardo made one happy in the person of Pierre Gasly. By taking everyone by surprise with his departure from home Red Bull Racing for Renault, the lively Australian freed up a highly coveted seat near Milton Keynes, which fell to the Norman who was then shining with Toro Rosso. 

12 months later, Gasly has already returned to square one, the consequence of a very complicated first half of the 2019 season, marked by a lack of rhythm and a cruel comparison with a Max Verstappen at the top of his art.

« I don't think it's unfair, reacted Ricciardo from Spa-Francorchamps. They had to do something. I have nothing against Pierre obviously. I like him as a person and I'm not happy to see him return to Toro Rosso.

Afterwards, Red Bull gave him six months to prove himself and I don't have the feeling that there were any signs of progress. In the other car, you have Max who wins races and finishes in the Top 3. So Red Bull at least expected to see him on the podium. 

I know what it means to be a Red Bull driver. You know what the program expects of you. If that doesn't happen, they move on. I don't want to say that it was unexpected and I think that Pierre suspected that something was going to happen. It's a shame for him. It's the turn ofAlbon to take your chance ». 

Ricciardo believes Gasly must now learn from the example of Daniil Kvyat – demoted, banned, then resurrected – to deliver a strong second half of the season with Toro Rosso.

« We had the impression that Pierre was not confident behind the wheel, right from the start with these two crashes during winter testing., added the Australian. I don’t know if these incidents broke anything but he looked more comfortable last year. We can see with Daniil that it is possible to find a second wind by retracing your steps ». 

Going back to jump better is all the harm we wish Gasly over the next nine races.