Max Verstappen will not get any preferential treatment over Pierre Gasly at Red Bull in the beginning, according to motorsport advisor Helmut Marko.
The Dutchman has been seen as slowly increasing his authority over the Anglo-Austrian team since joining in mid-2016 with some suggesting that growing influence led partially to Daniel Ricciardo leaving for Renault.
With Gasly arriving from Toro Rosso, it is thought that would give Red Bull the perfect opportunity to fully support their perceived 'golden boy' but Marko insists that won't be the case if the Frenchman performs as expected.
“Gasly comes as a youngster so it’s very clear that he has to adhere to the rules of Red Bull Racing,” he was quoted by PlanetF1.
“It’s easy: Max is much more familiar with the team. Gasly is free to race, he just needs to show performance. They are equal.”
The general consensus of the pending battle between the two is that Verstappen should have the advantage anyway over his slightly older new teammate but Gasly vows to not back down.
"I'm not afraid, it's up to me to make a place for myself in the team," he said. "Max is obviously a strong personality, he's well established in the team and has more experience than me.
"He's got more experience with the team. He is who he is, and it will be up to me make my place.
"I'm not like Daniel, I'm someone different. I'm not like Max. I've got my own personality."
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Red Bull as a team are also heading into 2019 with a genuine belief that they could provide a season-long challenge to Mercedes and Ferrari for the title.
“The second half of the season makes us extremely positive about the development of the chassis,” Marko declared. “Clearly we have the best.
“[As for] Max, he has also improved, making no mistakes since Paul Ricard.”
