Gasly: “Tsunoda takes F1 more seriously”
Pierre Gasly believes that his teammate has approached Formula 1 more seriously than in his first season. This new approach allows him to provide better feedback to the team in order to move forward with AlphaTauri. And thus, provide better indications of what he wants on his car.
Yuki Tsunoda made his Formula 1 debut alongside Pierre Gasly last season. It was a season of both highs and lows for him. He had a successful first Grand Prix in Bahrain where he scored his first points in Formula 1, but also had races where he struggled, like in Brazil or Mexico.
The Japanese driver admitted that he didn’t quite know what he was doing during his first season in Formula 1 while he was getting familiar with certain aspects of the competition.
Tsunoda considers that he is having a good first part of the season, giving himself a rating of 7/10 with two very good Grand Prix races, in Bahrain and Imola, where he achieved his best performance of the season with a seventh place finish.
A different approach
Pierre Gasly believes that his teammate’s approach has drastically changed and that it has allowed him to make considerable progress.
« I think he took Formula 1 more seriously, which was surely the right thing to do. » declared the French driver in the columns of Motorsport.
From what he says, I have had an impact on that side, on the fact of being dedicated and being demanding. It’s something that this sport asks of us. This year, we worked as a team, while last year, it was more divided. He didn’t have a lot of experience yet.
This year, I think he has a clearer understanding, he provides better feedback on what we need in order to be faster. We manage to work together to improve the car we have in our hands.
Progress noted by the team.
AlphaTauri is working to try to understand what hasn’t worked in this first part of the season, especially the improvements made for the French Grand Prix that didn’t seem to bring the expected results. The team hasn’t scored a single point in the last five races.
The technical director of AlphaTauri, Jody Egginton, seems to share the same opinion as the French driver regarding the progress of his teammate.
There is a lot of information that drivers have to take into account when they are on the runway, and they don’t always assimilate it directly. Like with anyone in any kind of difficult or technical exercise, or even in exam revision, practice helps to improve. More things are now working as he understands certain mechanisms.
He manages to give precise ideas of what he wants on the car. And it takes time, with any driver.
Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda have built a quite strong friendship off the track as well. Participating in events and producing content for AlphaTauri, especially videos or podcasts, has allowed them to build a healthy relationship that can prove to be an asset for the team in car development.
