Yuki tsunoda
1. Who is Yuki Tsunoda?
Yuki Tsunoda is Japanese, born May 11, 2000 in Kanagawa. He currently plays in Formula 1 with Alpha Tauri.
Yuki Tsunoda at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix © Antonin Vincent / DPPI
2. Yuki Tsunoda’s junior journey
Yuki Tsunoda made his single-seater debut at the end of 2016, taking part in two rounds of the Japanese Formula 4 championship. From his first race, the young man impressed by finishing 2nd! His first full season in 2017 in the category confirmed his good intentions with a final 3rd place in the championship, before going for the title the following year.
Recruited by Honda, Yuki joined Europe and the Jenzer Motorsport structure in FIA Formula 3. In a Swiss team unaccustomed to battles at the front, the Japanese achieved a prodigious 9th place in the championship, notably winning at Monza. . And getting on the podium three times. The Red-Bull Honda ticket then decides to bring him directly into Formula 2 for the 2020 season, in a Carlin team that is still very successful in this series.
Yuki Tsunoda during the 2020 Russian Grand Prix © Sebastian Rozendaal / DPPI
Despite his 20 years, the Japanese adapted very quickly by taking pole in the second meeting at the Red Bull Ring, at home, for him who joined the Red Bull Junior Team. That season, he even signed 4, for three successes and seven podiums. His last fiery meeting in Bahrain, with a victory in the main race and a second place in the sprint race, even allowed him to finish 3rd in the championship, just fifteen points behind champion Mick Schumacher.
3. Yuki Tsunoda’s Grand Prix (F1) journey
Best Formula 2 rookie, the Japanese has been announced at Alpha Tauri alongside Pierre Gasly to replace Daniil Kvyat for the 2021 season. For his debut, the Nippon astounds all observers by notably setting the second best time in winter testing. His arrival in the points in Bahrain (9th) during the first round confirms his excellent start to the season in the premier category, before a big slump and four consecutive Grands Prix without a single point.
During this period, we discovered a very nervous Yuki Tsunoda, guilty of some youthful mistakes. His 7th place in Baku, on a circuit that suited his Alpha Tauri well, did him the world of good. But the Japanese experienced results well below his expectations. This was due to numerous crashes, notably at Imola, which made him lose a lot of confidence and which led him to ride with the handbrake for the rest of the season.
Tsunoda on the Austin circuit in the United States © Florent Gooden / DPPI
In the middle of the season, at the request of AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost and Red Bull, the native of Kanagawa moved to Italy, near Faenza, in order to facilitate his adaptation to a team that believes a lot in him. As the season progressed, Tsunoda ended up regaining confidence and getting closer to his teammate Pierre Gasly, who had a superb season. It was finally during the last Grand Prix of the season, in Abu Dhabi, that he achieved his best result of the year, with a final 4th place just off the podium.
This change in mentality and his progress offer him a second chance in Formula 1 in 2022. A season which should allow him to apply his lessons as a rookie... if the car had not been so incomprehensible. The Japanese can console himself with a nice 7th position in Emilia-Romagna (Italy), his best result of the season. After a nice 6th place in the Manufacturers in 2021, the team is plummeting with Williams as its only parachute. His French teammate is losing patience in the Red Bull house and Tsunoda will find himself alongside Nyck de Vries in 2023.
4. AutoHebdo's opinion on Yuki Tsunoda
Yuki Tsunoda has undeniable talent. His career in promotional formulas and his peak speed displayed in sequence in F1 have demonstrated this. His first year was difficult and the Japanese will have to learn to contain his emotions more to succeed in panicking the clock.
His flowery language in the radio and his piloting errors often linked to a little too much attack show that the native of Kanagawa must still progress enormously on the emotional side, if he wants to be able to fully deliver all his potential. . And facing Nyck de Vries, Tsunoda will have to take advantage of his young experience in the team against a rookie... not so beginner after all.
5. Learn more about Yuki Tsunoda
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