Analysis: is the Tsunoda hype justified?
The Japanese rookie hit the ground running in the first race of the 2021 season. But was it an extraordinary performance?
A rookie at the center of debates! Yuki Tsunoda’s career is already taking a major turn in Formula 1. The first driver born in 2000 to start in the premier category, the Japanese driver made a splash, finishing in 9th place at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Points for a beginner, a performance in itself and a first since Stoffel Vandoorne at McLaren, 10th in 2016, already at the finish of a Bahrain Grand Prix.
A style of overtaking already well identified
Let’s hope for a better journey for Tsunoda, comfortable behind the wheel of the AlphaTauri. Starting 13th due to a strategy that was too greedy in mediums for the Q2, the driver with number 22 made an impression with sharp overtakes, despite a poor start.
Tsunoda lost three places in the surge, but he recovered well. First on Russell’s Williams, then on Vettel’s Aston Martin which he overtook for a 2nd time, and on Esteban Ocon’s Alpine on lap 21. 4 overtakes each time at the DRS, at the end of the start/finish straight, at the first braking point. While hitting the right trajectory, the former F2 driver’s ability to delay his braking to the maximum is impressive.
He also threw himself on his father’s idol, Fernando Alonso! A clash of generations and a student overtaking the master, still at the first braking.
Only Kimi Räikkönen resisted. It doesn’t matter for Tsunoda, who passed into the second DRS zone before turn 4. To finish his first race in style, the Japanese driver overtook Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin on the last lap, always braking at the first corner.
No, the rookie is not afraid! Tsunoda showed his speed from the beginning of the weekend, with a 2nd place in Q1 on the soft tires, 2 tenths ahead of Gasly. However, it was the Frenchman who was ahead at the crucial moment at the end of Q2, with a 6 tenth difference!
The level of AlphaTauri’s protege has made an impression in the paddock. Starting with Helmut Marko, the head of the Red Bull driver program, who hadn’t been so praising since Verstappen.
He will soon be a Formula 1 star. He is elegant and very mature for his age of 20. Without his technical problems, he would have easily won the Formula 2 championship last year, Marko points out.
Helmut Marko: « he will soon be a Formula 1 star. He is very mature for his 20 years. »
3rd in the F1 antechamber in 2020, Tsunoda had already impressed observers, like Thibaud from the editorial team, in the Motors Inside debrief of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Arriving in Europe in early 2019 from the Japanese Formula 4, Tsunoda only completed one season in F3 and another in F2 before tackling F1.
Even stronger, compliments from F1 director Ross Brawn.
« I am very impressed. He has shown some brilliant racing skills, which is very encouraging. He is the best rookie in F1 for years. He is impressive no matter which series he competes in!
Ross Brawn: « he is the best rookie in F1 for years. »
No comparison in the race with Gasly yet.
However, is Tsunoda’s performance so exceptional? There was a missing reference in the race: the other AlphaTauri of Gasly, who tumbled down the rankings due to his broken wing at the start of the race on Ricciardo’s McLaren.
Very balanced, the AlphaTauri is a car that clearly inspires confidence in the driver. Could Tsunoda be a better rookie than Charles Leclerc was in 2018 with Alfa Romeo or than Lando Norris (McLaren) or George Russell (Williams) were in 2019? Judging by the trend, the Faenza team’s car was the 5th strongest on the grid, behind Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari.
Comparison of the first Grand Prix of the latest F1 rookies:
| Année | Rookie (Team) | Équipier | Gap qualifications | Classement Course | |
| 1 | 2021 | Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) | Gasly | +1,394 ( Gasly devant) | Tsunoda 9e / DNF de Gasly |
| 2 | 2020 | Latifi (Williams) | Russell | +0.590 (Russell devant) | Latifi 11e / DNF de Russell |
| 3 | 2019 | Norris (McLaren) | Sainz | -0.780 ( Norris devant) | Norris 12e / DNF de Sainz |
| 4 | 2019 | Albon (Toro Rosso) | Kvyat | -0.138 (Albon devant) | Albon 14e / Kvyat 10e |
| 5 | 2019 | Russell (Williams) | Kubica | -1,707 (Russell devant) | Russell 16e / Kubica 17e |
| 6 | 2018 | Leclerc (Sauber) | Ericsson | +0,08 (Ericsson devant) | Leclerc 13e / Ericsson: abandon |
| 7 | 2017 | Stroll (Williams) | Massa | +2,044 (Massa devant) | Massa 6e / Stroll abandon |
| 8 | 2017 | Giovinazzi (Sauber) | Ericsson | +0.183 (Ericsson devant) | Giovinazzi 12e / Ericsson abandon |
| 9 | 2017 | Gasly (Toro Rosso) | Sainz | +0.156 (Sainz devant) | Gasly 14e / Sainz abandon |
| 10 | 2017 | Hartley (Toro Rosso) | Kvyat | +1.360 (Kvyat devant) | Kvyat 10e / Hartley 13e |
Compared to other years, Tsunoda is among the top rookies. Without automatically claiming he is the best, for now!
The new driver has at least made history in his country, outperforming Takuma Sato, Kamui Kobayashi, and all the Japanese drivers who have passed through F1: he scored points in the first race. And his commitment has made an impression, as seen through his passionate radio messages. Half satisfied with his first race, the 20-year-old driver will not stop there.
“I am happy at 50%. It was possible to climb even more positions. It’s good to score the first points but I think there is still room for improvement in the next race in Imola.”
Yuki Tsunoda: « I think there is still room for improvement in the next race at Imola »
The next race will be interesting: Tsunoda will be watched closely as he will be driving on a track used by AlphaTauri last year for his F1 training, with a 2019 car.
While we wait to see if he can withstand the pressure, the lightweight of the paddock has already adjusted his car. At 1.59m and 54 kilos, Tsunoda has confessed that a lot of foam had to be put inside his car to make the driving position high enough. They also made special pedals so that I can reach them. Everything is in place for what’s to come. While we might need to wait before passing judgment for sure, keep a close eye on him!
