Tsunoda knows that the next step will be difficult: 'But I can't wait for it!'

One of the rookies starting his F1 adventure next year is Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese driver has progressed quickly through the junior categories but knows that the challenge ahead will be by far the greatest yet.

For a while, it looked as though Red Bull's talent pool had completely dried up after Pierre Gasly and Alexander Albon were completely beaten by Max Verstappen and there was no new talent in the queue. That, however, seems to have changed now in the form of Yuki Tsunoda, who has made a big impression in the junior categories.

"Every year I have improved a little and have won in every category I have competed in. Those victories were not easy and they built up my self-confidence a lot. In Formula 3 I didn't expect to win, because it was my first time in Europe and many circuits were completely new to me. I focused on adapting to the tracks, the team and the culture and in the end, I won at Monza. Helmut Marko was very happy with that and it got me promoted to Formula 2," Tsunoda said in an interview on the AlphaTauri website.

A lot of progress

Last year, in particular, the Japanese driver made a lot of strides, not only in terms of racing but also his mentality and the way he approached races. "I think I improved a lot during Formula 2. It was a very successful season, one of the best of my season. At the beginning, I didn't score many points because I wasn't consistent enough. I started to work on that and by the end of the season my results were a lot better," continued the young driver.

"For example, in the first few races last year I struggled a lot with my tyre management compared to my teammates. I worked hard on that and it paid off. At the end of the year, I even got the Pirelli Award, which showed how much progress I have made. I know that the next step in my career is not going to be easy, but I can't wait," concludes the enthusiastic Japanese driver.