Tsunoda: 'I was very scared the first time, but after that I was ready'

Yuki Tsunoda has completed his first season in Formula 1, but not without a struggle. He looks back in a conversation with Formulapassion.it.

Everyone was very impressed with Tsunoda when he drove in Formula 2. The Japanese driver spent one year with Carlin in Formula 2, but immediately took seven podiums, including three victories. The former Carlin driver was immediately given the chance to step into a car that can fight for podiums and victories, as he got a seat on the Formula 1 grid at AlphaTauri alongside Pierre Gasly in 2021. In the end, it was a year with both good and bad days in which he learned a lot.

To best prepare him for the new season, he was allowed to drive the 2018 car in Imola at the end of 2020. The AlphaTauri driver can still remember that day very well: "I was a bit scared the first time, but after the initial fear, it only took three laps and I was completely ready," he says.

It was a big step for the 21-year-old driver, because a Formula 1 car is definitely something else. He was especially impressed with the braking and acceleration: "It is just unbelievable compared to Formula 2." In the end, he finished the season fourteenth with 32 points.