Tsunoda on De Vries: 'I'm still learning a lot from him'

After an unexpected and impressive debut race last year in Monza, De Vries is on track full-time in Formula 1 this year. After three races, the Dutchman is one of two drivers still without points, but according to Tsunoda, that does not give a fair picture of the driver. In an analysis of his driving style, Tsunoda clearly names where his teammate's strengths lie.

"I think more towards high speed, also street circuits," Tsunoda said. "He is really close to the wall, I think he has been trained from Formula E because there are a lot of street circuits in Formula E races. Also, I got impressed by his feedback that he gives to the team. He is really specific, giving us a lot of information about the car. Most of it is spot on. The amount of feedback he was saying was already much more than me in the Abu Dhabi young driver test. I learnt a lot from him and I am still learning things from him. He is quick, as we saw from last year's Italian Grand Prix. He adapted so quick and got to score points which is incredible. It was really impressive."

Different bond with De Vries than Gasly

De Vries replaces Pierre Gasly, who left for Alpine, at AlphaTauri. Gasly and Tsunoda had a very good relationship as teammates, so Gasly's departure did not fall easy on Tsunoda. The interviewer asked Tsunoda if the bond with De Vries is as good as it was with Gasly.

"It's a different relationship. Pierre was more like a brother, fully open. Maybe sometimes too much! I was really comfortable. With Nyck, we still have a good relationship, we're friends. I wouldn't say brother, but really good friend."