Pierre Gasly continued his strong form during Friday practice for the Russian Grand Prix, and with the likes of Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc set to serve grid penalties, the AlphaTauri driver is keen to make the most of the opportunity. Gasly finished FP1 at the Sochi Autodrom with the sixth-fastest time, and followed that up with P3 in the afternoon session, as teams and drivers brace for wet weather on Saturday . With both Verstappen and Leclerc set to start from the back of the grid after changing their engines, Gasly knows there is a chance to claim a major points haul. "It's been a positive day in terms of performance, this car seems to be working well here so far, and it's a good start going into the weekend," Gasly said after Friday's practice sessions. "Whilst the performance is there, I'm not 100 percent comfortable with the balance inside the car yet, so we've got a few things that we can take away and improve tonight. "We know both Charles and Max are taking penalties for the race, so there are definitely some opportunities for us this weekend. Our main focus, though, is on our own package and maximising what we can do to help in our tight midfield battle." As for teammate Yuki Tsunoda, the rookie could only manage P16 and P18 in the two sessions. Nevertheless, he was pleased with the number of laps he completed, noting that it could prove pivotal if Sunday's race is a sunny one. "I've struggled with the general grip here so far in Sochi, but I've managed to gain important mileage in the car today, particularly for Sunday, as we think the race may be sunny," stated Tsunoda. "We know the performance is there in the car, so I just need to go away tonight, look at the data and see how I can improve for tomorrow. "We don't know what's going to happen with the weather, so we just need to be as prepared as possible going into FP3 and Qualifying."
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