Of the three rookies who made their Formula 1 debut last year, Yuki Tsunoda was the one who got the most talk. Strongly wanted by Helmut Marko after just one season in Formula 2, the Japanese immediately dazzled his debut in Bahrain by giving overtaking applause and finishing his first race in ninth place.
It was expected that Tsunoda’s growth would continue, but unexpectedly numerous errors and accidents came that undermined the little Japanese’s path in F1.
Despite this, Red Bull wanted to continue to bet on Tsunoda, confirming him also for 2022, always alongside Pierre Gasly. But first, drastic decisions were made that had the desired effect.
“Until I moved to Italy I was just a lazy bastard,” Yuki laughs. “Right after training I would go home and just think about playing on the PS5. Then, however, when the race weekends came I was always in a hurry. I only started preparing at that moment and it was too late “.
From the Imola weekend onwards, a period of great difficulty began for Tsunoda. On the track dedicated to Enzo and Dino Ferrari the Japanese sensationally destroyed the rear of his AlphaTauri in Q1 and then turned around in the wet. Then in Spain he vented his anger against the team for the elimination already in Q1 and in the race he was forced to retire due to a technical problem. Finally, in Monaco he crashed in FP2.
Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri AT02, spin
Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images
The lack of serenity thus began to weigh on Yuki and Red Bull decided it was better to have him transferred to Faenza. A new, calmer approach to race weekends has had the desired effect.
“I think the biggest problem was too much confidence. It seemed to me that Formula 1 was too easy, also because I had never had a big accident, and everything seemed under control ”.
“I went to the wall at Imola, but even after that episode I still had faith in myself and I thought it was just an unfortunate episode. Then when I started having accidents constantly, my confidence started to waver and I realized that Formula 1 was much more complicated than I thought “.
“I was taking the same approach I had in Formula 2, but there the format of the weekend is totally different as you only have one free session before returning to the track for qualifying. I’ve always tried to push hard right from the start, but this involves risks ”.
“At some point my confidence was completely gone and I found myself in a really difficult time. I had to go back to being the same rider I saw in Bahrain, but it was tough ”.
The turning point of Yuki Tsunoda’s season has come to Turkey. A change of chassis proved useful for the Japanese to regain that lost confidence, but the 2020 rookie of the year in F2 also realized that he had to change his mentality.
Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri AT02, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12, and Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin AMR21
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
“Turkey marked a turning point both for confidence and for the approach to the weekend. Up until that race I just tried not to make mistakes and not hit the block, and for this reason I showed a slow pace ”.
“When I noticed this pace problem, I changed my mind and started thinking positively. I was like, ‘You won’t crash,’ and I managed to avoid accidents for eight races in a row. The chassis change was also one of the things that helped me considerably ”.
Yuki finished the season in a crescendo, taking fourth place in the chaotic season finale in Abu Dhabi.
“I think it’s been a great year, even though I’ve never had a season with so many ups and downs in my career. Although there have been negative periods, I am quite happy and I am happy with the progress I have made ”.
“It has been a year of great learning and I think I have gained a lot of experience. Now that I have experienced the worst things I can only improve and move on ”.
“2022 will be a very important year for me. I don’t know how the car will go yet, but I have to perform well. As a driver your goal is to stay ahead of your teammate. Also I have to be more constant on the race pace. I know where I can improve and if I can, I’m sure I’m ahead of Pierre ”.
Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri AT02
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
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