received words of wisdom from and after his promotion to was confirmed. The Japanese driver will make his debut for the Milton Keynes squad at the Suzuka Circuit on Sunday after Liam Lawson was unceremoniously dropped just two race weekends into his spell with the team.

Tsunoda was overlooked as a replacement for Perez over the winter, but after Lawson failed to score points or make it out of Q1 in Melbourne and Shanghai, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko were forced to take action.

The 24-year-old now faces the daunting task of teaming up with Max Verstappen in the second Red Bull seat. The Dutchman dominated Gasly, Alex Albon, Perez and Lawson during their stints together, and Tsunoda must now avoid becoming the latest victim.

As he prepares for his debut, Tsunoda has received some advice from those who went before him. "I got a message from Pierre that he wanted a call with me about the experience he had in Red Bull," he explained in Suzuka.

"The things he should have done in Red Bull and wanted to share a couple of ideas that could work for the coming races in Red Bull. That was very nice of him. They were very useful tips.

"I also got from Checo as well. All of the Red Bull family drivers. Very supportive messages. Those two have been very supportive to me. Very appreciated, and the drivers I respect the most. Very happy."

Gasly and Tsunoda shared a close friendship during their time as team-mates at AlphaTauri, and the French racer, now driving for Alpine, believes that his former colleague has all of the tools required to buck the trend of second-driver struggles at Red Bull.

MORE TO FOLLOW

We'll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story.

For the latest news and breaking news visit: . Stay up to date with all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter @‌dexpress_sport - the official Daily Express & Twitter account - providing real news in real time.

We're also on Facebook @‌dailyexpresssport - offering your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day to like, comment and share from the Daily Express, Sunday Express and .