Yuki Tsunoda: “I ate Uber Eats morning, noon and evening”

Yuki tsunoda had a complicated first season in Formula 1. Rookie in 2021, the Japanese driver stood out in particular for his off-track runs and his flowery language on the radio. His level of requirements had notably been called into question, Franz Tost having him repatriated to Italy, near Faenza where the factory is located. Alpha Tauri. The 21-year-old then had to adapt to a new discipline, one that the premier category of motorsport requires. Especially physically.

For this, he took an example from… Franz Tost, the director of the Italian team. “You don’t know how fit Franz is, said the driver at a press conference during pre-season testing in Bahrain. He runs a lot, which I've never really done in my life, especially at the start of last season when I was eating Uber Eats morning, noon and evening. I had one hand on my video game controller and another for the food. Needless to say, it was very bad. »

“A good joke” for Franz Tost

A lifestyle incompatible with the life of a professional athlete. "JI heard how he (Franz. Editor’s note) trained every day, how much he exerted himself in training. I was very impressed to see what a man of his age (66 years) could do. So I thought I should do it too, especially as an athlete. Even more so after moving to Italy. I tried to change my mindset. I felt that fitness was a form of performance limitation. So I focused on that, especially during this off-season, and I have already felt the benefits in Barcelona. » Already at the end of last season, Yuki tsunoda had shown great progress, signing his best weekend of the season in Abu Dhabi by finally ahead of his teammate Pierre Gasly in qualifying and finishing just off the podium in the race (4th).

Franz Tost reacted the next day to his pilot's comments. “It was a good joke on his part. the Austrian joked. Yuki is physically good, otherwise he would not have finished in ninth position here in Bahrain (first Grand Prix of the 2021 season. Editor’s note). Of course, as I mentioned before, Formula 1 is extremely demanding, especially physically, because there is a lot of G-force when braking and cornering. All pilots think they are not sharp enough. Of course, he has done a lot of training since last year and during the winter. » Will the work done bear fruit for this 2022 season? It’s up to Yuki Tsunoda to demonstrate it.

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