Gasly confident Tsunoda will "pick it up" at Red Bull at the Bahrain Grand Prix

Alpine F1 driver and former Red Bull Racing man Pierre Gasly believes that Yuki Tsunoda will "pick up" the pace at the Bahrain Grand Prix for the Austrian team.

Gasly's time with Red Bull Racing was not too successful, making the move from Toro Rosso in 2019, but only lasting 12 Grands Prix.

His good friend Tsunoda now gets the chance as a teammate of Max Verstappen, with the Frenchman convinced that the Japanese driver will match the four-time world champion's speed.

The Alpine driver knows how difficult it is to be Verstappen's teammate at Red Bull, a team that is completely tailored to the Dutchman. And it has not just been Gasly that struggled alongside Verstappen, with Alexander Albon, Sergio Perez, and Liam Lawson all succumbing to the pressure at some point at the Austrian team.

Gasly has confidence in Tsunoda

Now, Tsunoda gets his chance at Red Bull, but he didn't score any points during his first weekend with his new employer at the Japanese Grand Prix. However, Gasly believes in a bright future for his friend at Red Bull.

"I think he can do better," analysed the Frenchman from Alpine after the Japanese driver's first race weekend.

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"He's a fast driver, it's his first race, and he'll have plenty of time, but I know what he's capable of. It was tough. I think he made a set-up decision that didn't really play in his favor," Gasly continued.

"I had him for the first stint behind me, and let's say I wasn't the fastest on the straight, and he wasn't really catching much, so I'm not sure he really helped himself in terms of setup. But no, I think he's definitely going to pick it up over the next few weeks," Gasly concluded.

This article was written in collaboration with Ludo van Denderen