"Doesn't feel like we really broke up" - Pierre Gasly reveals he took Yuki Tsunoda out on dinner during F1 winter break

Pierre Gasly stated that leaving his former AlphaTauri teammate Yuki Tsunoda and moving to Alpine does not feel like a 'break-up'.

Tsunoda and Gasly were teammates for two seasons, 2021 and 2022, in Red Bull's sister team AlphaTauri and were known for their affable and fun banter off the track despite being fierce racers inside the car.

The duo was quite popular on social media and were always seen enjoying each other's company while doing off-track activities. Speaking to F1.com, the Frenchman mentioned that he spent time with the Japanese driver during the winter break.

He said:

"You know what? I've seen him over the winter so it doesn't feel like we really 'broke up'. I was training in Dubai for a few weeks and he came there so we had a nice dinner together and a couple of training, and played some football games."

He added:

"I brought him to the karting track and we actually did a lot when we think about it. I've seen him a lot, so no great guy and I'll see him in three weeks. We played football I didn't tackle him too much, so he's all in one piece. No, it was good fun, yeah."

"It's almost impossible to be friends while being F1 drivers" - F1 fans on Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda's friendship

Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda were quite popular as teammates on social media and did not miss an opportunity to have fun banter with each other.

However, some F1 fans took to social media to give their take on their friendship moving forward, with one fan even mentioning that their dynamic will change once they collide on the track.

"Can't wait till one of them sends it on the other, I would like to see the same energy then. It's almost impossible to be friends while being an F1 driver,"

Here are some more reactions:

Pierre Gasly will drive for the Alpine F1 team this season and stated that he was looking forward to helping the team cement its place in the constructor's championship. He added:

“From the team’s point of view, I think at least – [the] minimum – to get fourth place in the constructors, with a slightly more dominant way, improving the reliability and closing that gap with the top three. If we have an opportunity to attack one of the top three, then we’ll obviously do it, but it’s difficult to say,"

It would be interesting to see if Pierre Gasly can push the French team closer to the top three in 2023.