Despite driving a comparatively slower car at the 2023 Belgian GP, Yuki Tsunoda managed to finish ahead of his former teammate Pierre Gasly. This was a big win for Tsunoda as the Alpine driver had a better car with superior straight-line speed. The Japanese driver opened up about it in the post-race interview as he was pleased to have overtaken Gasly. But also at the same time he was ‘frustrated’ about having to deal with this all race long.
When pitted against Gasly, Tsunoda has always struggled. He failed to match Gasly’s performances for the majority of their time together as teammates. At first, it was his inexperience, and now AlphaTauri’s inferior challenger. But despite that the 23-year-old managed to hold on to P10 at Spa-Francorchamps, outshining Gasly.
a super job from @yukitsunoda07 today 👏 #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/xEiMKOtPe0
— Scuderia AlphaTauri (@AlphaTauriF1) July 30, 2023
This was Tsunoda’s first points finish since the 2023 Azerbaijan GP. With his third P10 finish of the campaign, Tsunoda had the last laugh as he gets ready for the long summer break.
Yuki Tsunoda is happy after pulling off the move on Gasly
Tsunoda seemed elated after a fine finish to the Belgian GP race. Even though P10 might not look very bright, for AlphaTauri and Tsunoda, it means a lot, for sure. The 23-year-old explained his feelings after overtaking Gasly during the race to Will Buxton and Pietro Fittipaldi.
He said as per in the post-race interview, “Yes I’m happy. I was thinking if I would wave to him or not. Because most of the time he overtakes me, so finally [I was] able to overtake him in a race.” He further added on his friend turned foe, “He [Gasly] overtakes in every race most of the time so that was a little bit frustrating.”
Yuki talking about pierre 🥲 pic.twitter.com/91HZNSeA7o
— I’m ED (@Im_ED__) July 30, 2023
Admittedly, the Japanese star driver has been phenomenal this season. Despite having the slowest car on the grid, he still managed to have three points finish this season. Furthermore, his startling performances have brought him even closer to the second Red Bull seat now.
Is Tsunoda good enough for Red Bull?
With Sergio Perez visibly struggling in the last few races except in Hungary and Belgium, there were murmurs about Red Bull trying to find his replacement. Among a couple of names, Tsunoda’s name has also popped up due to his superior show with the sister team.
However, with Perez back in form now, the chances could very well fade away, at least for the upcoming 2024 season. Furthermore, the 23-year-old needs to make sure that he finishes the season better than the favorite Ricciardo at AlphaTauri for the time being.
Notably, Yuki Tsunoda is currently content with his role at the Faenza-based team. He is not seeking a move away from AlphaTauri at the moment and is ready to wait for his opportunity.
