Tsunoda backs De Vries "to get there" amid F1 future speculation

De Vries has faced a rough first third of his rookie season, struggling to get on Tsunoda's pace as a lack of consistency has held him back across the first eight races.

He is one of two drivers yet to register points, alongside fellow rookie Logan Sargeant, although that is also partly due to an underperforming AT04.

Pressure on De Vries has already started mounting, with Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko voicing his displeasure about the 2020-21 Formula E world champion's performances so far.

Team-mate Tsunoda has backed De Vries to turn things around once he gets settled.

"I think Nyck just has to put it all together," Tsunoda replied when asked by Motorsport.com in Austria about his new team-mate's plight.

"I think the pace is there, so he just needs to find a good rhythm because so far in most of the races probably he struggled a lot in terms of consistency.

"I think in the end he'll get there because in past races and past results, with what he achieved he's showing that he can do it, so I'm sure he'll get there."

Nyck de Vries, Scuderia AlphaTauri, high fives Yuki Tsunoda, Scuderia AlphaTauri

Photo by: Jake Grant / Motorsport Images

There are some parallels to be drawn with Tsunoda's rookie year in 2021, when he too struggled to find consistency but arguably showed more flashes of pace than De Vries.

But when asked by Motorsport.com if there were any comparisons to be made, and if that made him sympathise with the Dutchman, Tsunoda felt the two situations are hard to compare.

"I think it's a different situation with Nyck," Tsunoda said. "Why I struggled in the first half of my first year was not just my problem.

"Obviously, there were definitely a lot of places I could improve but it was not just my problem, and the team probably knew it.

"At the same time, it was my third year in Europe. Two years before I was in Japan and I never raced in Europe. So actually, they knew that I needed more experience.

"I think Nyck is showing good pace in free practice and a couple of qualifyings.

"He's just a bit unlucky because we're not in the fastest car right now, so it's hard to get good results and show a good performance."