Pressure mounting on Gasly after 'frustrating' home race

©RedBull

The pressure on Pierre Gasly is likely ramping up at Red Bull following another Sunday of underperformance that team boss Christian Horner labeled as "frustrating".

Gasly qualified ninth for his home race, outpaced for the seventh time out of eight races by teammate Max Verstappen.

Granted the Frenchman's race wasn't helped by a start on soft tyres while all his rivals were on the better medium compound.

Swift pit work from his Red Bull crew after 16 laps put him in contention for points, but Gasly failed to make the most of the opportunity.

French Grand Prix: Sunday's action in pictures

"He did a good job in the first stint on the red tyre, and then we got him track position," Horner told Sky Sports F1.

"A fantastic stop by the boys, the fastest of the afternoon, I had it at 1.9 stationary.

"So we got him track position to Daniel [Ricciardo] and then he just didn’t get going on that harder tyre. And then lost out to the other guys as well."

Gasly crossed the checkered flag just out of the points but inherited P10 as a result of Daniel Ricciardo's double penalty and subsequent demotion.

"It’s frustrating not to have that car in the points," was Horner's initial reaction, well before the stewards made their call on Ricciardo's actions.

"I’m sure we’ll have a good look at that with him."

A disappointed Gasly suggested his low-key Sunday was rooted in a change made on his RB15 between FP3 and qualifying.

"So FP3 was good, from qualifying we struggled massively and was the same in the race," he told Motorsport Week.

"Quite big drop of grip. Just sliding. I don’t have any answer at the moment.

"It’s clearly something we need to analyse to see why we had low grip. I never really felt that car like this. It was clearly something we did after FP3.

"I’m sure we’ll analyse with the team to understand but at the moment I don’t have any answer."

"It’s disappointing to perform in that manner at home but the bigger issue is understanding what is wrong with the car," he added.

"I’m giving everything at the wheel but I’m sliding everywhere. There is something to understand here."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.