Pierre Gasly believes Yuki Tsunoda deserves a chance at Red Bull, citing his strong performances and improvement in recent seasons.
Gasly believes Yuki Tsunoda “deserves a chance” alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull.
The Alpine F1 driver spent half a season with the Dutchman at the Milton Keynes team in 2019 before being demoted to what was then Toro Rosso.
The Frenchman then spent two seasons as Tsunoda’s teammate at AlphaTauri before leaving the Red Bull family.
Despite the Japanese driver’s strong performances since Gasly’s departure from what is now Red Bull F1, the team has consistently overlooked him as a candidate to partner Verstappen. Tsunoda has expressed his frustration about this in the media over recent races.
“It’s a tough question,” Gasly said when asked if Tsunoda should get a chance.
“I think, in terms of performance, he deserves a chance. He seems to have improved a lot since his F1 debut. He’s been very strong this season and last year. He’s beaten his teammates.”
“From that perspective, looking at the Red Bull program, it would make sense to give him a shot.”
“But ultimately, we know performance isn’t the only factor that comes into play with a top team. It depends on what Christian [Horner] and Helmut [Marko] want to do.”
“So personally, I’d like to see him in a Red Bull – and see what he could do there, but I know it’s not that simple. But if you ask me, in terms of performance, yes, I think he deserves a chance.”
Dr. Marko responds to Tsunoda
Yesterday, the Japanese driver asked journalists in a press conference to directly ask Red Bull why he was not considered for a seat in the main team for 2025 (read here).
The response from Dr. Helmut Marko came swiftly, with Marko stating that Tsunoda lacks the “necessary consistency” to be a serious contender for replacing Sergio Perez next year.
“He has now had two very good races in Brazil and Las Vegas. Unfortunately, he made two stupid mistakes in Brazil before that.”
“Yuki has the speed, but he lacks the consistency needed for a top team and stability. But when it works for him, it works very well.”
The question now is whether Marko prefers Perez’s recent run of consistent poor performances or Tsunoda’s flashes of brilliance.
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Gasly Backs Tsunoda for Red Bull Drive Based on Form Gasly Backs Tsunoda for Red Bull Drive Based on Form
