Making his Red Bull debut at his home race in Japan, Yuki Tsunoda is in the spotlight this weekend in F1. After waiting for four long seasons, he has finally got that chance to prove his mettle in a top team. However, knowing how challenging it can be, given how badly his predecessors have struggled in that second Red Bull car, Tsunoda knows it won’t be a cakewalk.
Still, the Japanese driver is confident in his ability and is focusing on doing his job well. Fortunately, he has got support and encouragement from two of his predecessors at the Milton Keynes outfit: Pierre Gasly and Sergio Perez.
While Perez knows Tsunoda cordially via their time together in the Red Bull stable, Gasly and Tsunoda have a bond that runs deeper than being just teammates at AlphaTauri (now Racing Bulls). The two drivers became best friends during their two seasons as teammates.
Even after moving to Alpine in 2023, Gasly often backed the Japanese youngster for a promotion to Red Bull. Now that Tsunoda is getting that shot, the Frenchman has reached out to his friend and given him some tips ahead of what could be the toughest test of his life.
Tsunoda revealed in the drivers’ press conference in Japan that Gasly had a conversation with him to share his past experience at Red Bull. “I got a message from Pierre, that he wanted to call me and share a couple of ideas – of what he should have done at Red Bull. It was very nice of him, useful tips.”
Yuki Tsunoda had a call with Pierre Gasly after his Red Bull promotion was confirmed, as Gasly wanted to offer some advice and thoughts from his own experience in 2019. Tsunoda also says Sergio Perez got in touch with him too – nice support for him #F1 #JapaneseGP
— Luke Smith (@LukeSmithF1) April 3, 2025
Gasly knows what it feels like to struggle without much support and under the insurmountable pressure of performing at Red Bull. Having gotten the pink slip after just 12 races in 2019, the French driver would not want Tsunoda to face a similar fate, so he would have given every insight possible for his friend to succeed and fulfill Red Bull’s expectations.
Even Perez has spoken quite positively about Tsunoda’s chances of succeeding at Milton Keynes. Ever since the Japanese driver’s switch with Liam Lawson got the green light, the Mexican driver has backed him to break the chain of Red Bull’s second drivers faltering.
Perez feels Tsunoda is capable
Perez would naturally feel hard done by, given the kind of berating he received for severely underperforming in the Red Bull car in 2023 and 2024. After Lawson’s predicament and eventual sacking in just two rounds of the 2025 campaign, the perception of the Mexican driver in the media has improved, earning plaudits for performing decently in a tricky car.
Nevertheless, Perez is happy for Tsunoda to get the nod to drive for Red Bull. “Yuki has the talent, has the speed and, more than that, you need the mentality to cope with it,” he said in an exclusive interview with Formula 1’s official website.
While he is trying to return to F1 with other teams in 2026, Perez is rooting for Red Bull to do well, hoping for Tsunoda’s success. “I think he has the right mentality and the right attitude to cope with it. I hope they will succeed.”
Knowing what’s needed to tackle that Red Bull, having driven it for four years, there is no one better than Perez to gauge whether Tsunoda can sustain the pressure of performance at the Austrian outfit. Time will tell, though, if the Mexican’s prophecy is right or not.
