Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda believe they have a good chance of scoring points at this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The AlphaTauri duo arrive in Baku after a disappointing race in Monaco, in which they both finished outside the top 10. However, Gasly scored AlphaTauri's best result of 2021 with third place in last year's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and the Frenchman talked up his prospects of another good result this time around. "I have a good feeling about this race, as the Baku track is made up of nothing but slow corners, and so far this year, we seem to struggle more in high-speed turns, so I think the layout could potentially suit us," said Gasly. "We mustn't forget there's that long main straight, so we will have to see how we deal with that. "But overall, I'm reasonably optimistic we can perform well there. Last year we did really well here and it was an excellent race for the team, so we come to Baku to defend that result."
Tsunoda keen on Baku challenge
In addition to Gasly's podium, Tsunoda also had a good race in Baku last year, taking seventh place for his then-highest Grand Prix finish in his debut season. The Japanese noted that he might well have finished even higher, and talked up the unique challenge the Baku City Circuit presents, with its combination of tight corners and long straights. "Baku was a really strong race for us last year," said Tsunoda. "I qualified eighth and was P5 in the race until I lost a couple of places in the last moments after the red flag, which left a one lap race to the finish. "There are not many downsides or parts I don't like about Baku. I particularly enjoy Sector 2, where it goes past the old buildings, and there are plenty of passing opportunities not just on the very long straight, so in general I like it. "I hope we can have a clean race week in Azerbaijan and score some points. The team needs to have a strong weekend, putting everything together for the best possible result. We must not repeat what happened in Monaco."
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