Former Formula 1 driver and 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve says he wouldn't be surprised to see Red Bull demote Pierre Gasly if he fails to improve in the coming races, following a shakey start to the year.
Gasly failed to escape Q1 in Australia, qualifying a lowly 17th compared to team-mate Max Verstappen's fourth and then finished outside the points in 11th. At the following event in Bahrain, the 23-year-old could only muster 13th on the grid, but went on to score his first points for Red Bull on Sunday by finishing eighth.
Gasly has just four points, two more than Toro Rosso's Alexander Albon and 23 less than Verstappen.
Villeneuve says it'd wouldn't come as a surprise to see Red Bull demote Gasly back to Toro Rosso unless his form picks up this weekend in China.
"If Gasly continues like this, returning to Toro Rosso would not be a surprise,” Villeneuve told Sky Italia.
"In the past, many of these boys struggled to move from a small team to a better team. People underestimate it.
"You can compare it to a driver going from Formula 2 to F1. Some can adapt more easily than others."
Gasly has already come under fire from team advisor Helmut Marko during pre-season testing after the Frenchman crashed heavily, and Villeneuve reckons the Austrian's patience will be wearing thin already.
"Gasly will not have much luck with Marko this year," he added. "We know that he is able to change his mind every five minutes."
It wouldn't be the first time Red Bull have demoted a driver. In 2016 the team promoted Daniil Kvyat to Red Bull but after just four races, he was demoted back to Toro Rosso and then dismissed in 2017. He made a one-race comeback before being dropped again. He joined Ferrari in 2017 as a simulator driver but was then re-hired by Toro Rosso for the 2019 season.
Discussion about this post