Pierre Gasly says his Formula 1 teammate Max Verstappen is providing him with a “good benchmark”𓃲 to lear🍎n from during his first season at Red Bull.

Gasly linked up alongside Verstappen following his winter graduation to Red Bull from sister squad Toro Rosso but has so far been unable to match the Dutchman’s e🔴arly season form.

Verstappen has scored two podiums and sits third in the drivers’ chamꦡpionship, while sixth-placed Gasly took a best result of🧔 sixth in China and Spain and has managed just 21 points compared to Verstappen’s tally of 66.

“I’ve always known he’s one of the most talented guys, but I must say he is really good at extracting the ma🧸ximum from the package at the moꦗment,” Gasly said.

“For me it’s really good to be next to him at the moment, use his experience with the team, with Red Bull Racing, with the car, to🅠 see a bit what he doe🦹s to extract the maximum from the package that we have.

“He has been driving real🦂ly well, really consistently, so it’s definitely a good benchmark to me.”

Gasly feels he is beginning to make progress after initially struggling to get to grips with Red Bull’s RB15 in the early rounds of the campaign.

“I think it𒐪’s kind of gettဣing better progressively, but still not exactly where I like,” he explained.

“St꧂ill have a few things on my side in terms of driving I can change to adapt a bit more to this car and I’ll keep working on, and still a few things to extrac🍰t the potential with this car.

“I’m still a bit too aggressive with ൲the car and the package we have it’s a b෴it on the edge and as soon as you go over the grip you pay it quite hard and I think especially the traction I have a few things I can change to improve that.”

Red♓ Bull team principal Christian Horner defended Gasly’s f🐻orm and believes the Frenchman is on his way out of a difficult patch.

“Pierre continues to get stronger,” Horner said. “His race was compromised in the second half because he pi▨cked up some debris in the front wing but he drove a strong race.

“Obviousl💎y we want to get him in that fight with the cars ahead now, but every 🍌weekend he’s made progress this year.”

Asked if the time has come forꦆ Gasly to step up 🐬his performances, Horner replied: “I think in fairness to Pierre it’s starting to come.

“China was a turning point foꦛr him, he had a good weekend in Baku, and he’s followed that up with a very solid weekend in Spain.”