Tsunoda, “ready to fight” with Ricciardo
With a new teammate of a completely different caliber than the previous one, Yuki Tsunoda risks facing much tougher competition in the upcoming second part of the season. The Japanese driver acknowledges that he is already learning from the experience of Daniel Ricciardo, who joined the team just two races ago.
Back to the points, 3 months later
Last Sunday, Yuki Tsunoda started from 11th place on the grid and entered the points for the first time since April and the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where he also finished in 10th position. At one point, he was seventh before his pit stop and even sixth during his second stint, but eventually he lost positions and dropped back to 10th place at the finish.
« A big congratulations to the entire team, » « I think I was able to return the favor to the team, apologize to them, and give them some positive energy as we approach the break, » said the Japanese driver, relieved to equal AlphaTauri’s best result in the last 21 races. A restful departure on a high note, with a new addition to the team already pushing Tsunoda to exceed himself.
The 23-year-old driver acknowledged that it was important for him to finish ahead of his new teammate Daniel Ricciardo, who had defeated him in Hungary the previous week.
New team member, new pressure?
If Ricciardo started second-to-last in the race, having his time cancelled for not respecting track limits in qualifying on Friday, Ricciardo defeated Tsunoda in the qualifying shootout for the sprint race.
« “This situation is completely new to me and I am learning a lot,” said Tsunoda about his confrontation with the Australian. « “The way he behaves in the team is opposite to mine. So there is a lot to learn from him, and also a little pressure for me,” added the one who has only scored 3 small points this season.
It must be said that he goes from a teammate struggling with success and confidence, unable to score a single point and making several mistakes, to an extremely experienced driver, the fifth most successful in the current paddock (8 wins in GP).
Yuki Tsunoda already assures that he is learning from (the) being confronted with an experienced driver, and this experienced driver is not just an ordinary experienced driver, he is a high-level driver and we know he is fast ».
Also, Tsunoda is determined to compete with his illustrious senior from the restart: « I made some mistakes in the last two races. But I managed to put everything in place in the last one. It wasn’t easy, but I’m happy and I feel ready to fight with him during the second half of the season. »
