Pierre Gasly reveals what he’s told Yuki Tsunoda to ‘figure out’ as Red Bull plight persists

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Yuki Tsunoda has only scored points in half of his visits to Baku, and returns for the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix having only earned points in one of the past nine races.

The Red Bull driver broke his scoring duct at Zandvoort coming out of the summer break, as Tsunoda secured a somewhat fortuitous P9 in the Dutch Grand Prix. He profited from Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc all retiring and Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s penalties.

But Tsunoda could not back up his return to the points in the Italian Grand Prix last time out, as the 25-year-old only finished P13 at Monza. Tsunoda tangled with Liam Lawson at Monza, as well, which left the former with damage to his floor at a time he is fighting for his career.

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies is clear that Tsunoda needs “clean” races to give the Milton Keynes outfit the data they need to decide his future. The Japanese racer is set to be out of contract following the 2025 F1 season, and Red Bull are expected to release Tsunoda.

Pierre Gasly has told Yuki Tsunoda to ‘figure out’ his ‘best chance’ to give Red Bull results

It is possible that Tsunoda could return to Racing Bulls in 2026. But if he wants to stay at Red Bull next year, then Pierre Gasly believes Tsunoda must “figure out” how he can produce the type of races the team needs – despite whatever “limitations” he is dealing with in the RB21.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda’s life outside F1 from height to parents

Gasly has also told Tsunoda that the “only question” to ask himself if he wants to stay at Red Bull in 2026 is how the Kanagawa native is going to make himself a stronger driver. Tsunoda has only scored nine points across 14 rounds since he replaced Lawson at Red Bull in March.

Gasly said in Thursday’s pre-Azerbaijan GP press conference: “Every single situation is quite specific, and we all manage it or process it in different ways.

“I think it kind of depends on how you are as an individual [and] as an athlete, what might work for you, what may not work for you and the sort of support and environment you need around you.

“This is stuff that I talk with Yuki [about], obviously very openly. We have a good relationship and I think, ultimately, he needs to work out what’s the best way of focusing on the performance.

“At the end of the day, the only thing that matters when you’re in a competitive sport is the performance you put out there. And you’ve got to figure out, with the limitations you’re facing, what’s your best chance of displaying your skills in the best possible way.

“There’s always going to be a lot of talk, a lot of noise around, and you need to find a way that it just doesn’t get to your head. You’ve got to wake up every day thinking, ‘How am I going to get better at what I’m doing?’. That’s the only question that will push you forward.”

Pierre Gasly has told Alpine to sign Yuki Tsunoda if Red Bull release his friend

Gasly knows the challenge of delivering at Red Bull, having only contested 12 races with the team at the start of the 2019 season before returning to Toro Rosso. His time in Faenza also saw Gasly partner with Tsunoda from 2021 to ‘22, after Toro Rosso also became AlphaTauri.

The pair struck a strong bond, and Gasly has told Alpine to sign Tsunoda for 2026 if Red Bull do release the Japanese racer. Alpine are yet to decide Gasly’s teammate for next year, with Franco Colapinto currently on a race-by-race contract but also struggling to produce results.

Red Bull are expected to release Tsunoda, or potentially now demote him to Racing Bulls in 2026, as the 25-year-old has only finished the Dutch GP in the points with P9 across the last nine rounds. He has also not finished any Grand Prix higher than P9 since replacing Lawson.

Should Tsunoda now score only his fifth points-paying finish as a Red Bull driver in Baku this weekend, it would be the third time he has scored a point in an Azerbaijan GP. Tsunoda took P7 in the 2021 race and P10 in 2023, but he only managed P13 in 2022 and retired last year.