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Yuki Tsunoda has revealed that having Daniel Ricciardo as his new teammate at AlphaTauri is ‘challenging’.
Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda of AlphaTauri (Credit: Peter Fox via GettyImages)Despite this though, the young Japanese driver has also acknowledged that he has a lot to learn from Ricciardo, who has won eight races during his career.
Now in his third season in Formula 1, Yuki Tsunoda started the season as the main driver at AlphaTauri starting the year ahead of rookie Nyck de Vries in the pecking order.
However, the arrival of Ricciardo has seen questions about whether or not Tsunoda has what it takes to beat his new teammate. When speaking to Autosport, Tsunoda admitted:
“It’s challenging. But at the same time, I know that this current situation is completely new for me.
“I’m learning a lot, especially getting challenged by an experienced driver. And not only is he an experienced driver, but he’s also a top driver and we know that he’s fast.
“I already know he is fast but also how he’s behaving in the team is like probably the opposite of me.”
The new challenge posed by Ricciardo has been tough to adapt to for Tsunoda, who is feeling the pressure. He explained, saying:
“It’s also a bit of pressure for myself, which probably made me rush and a couple of mistakes in the last couple of races.
“But I was able to put it all together in the last race [Spa, 10th place]. It was not easy. But just happy and feeling ready for a fight with him in the second half of the season.”
Consistency is key
Struggling at the start of the season, Tsunoda has been unable to find a consistent groove this year.
With AlphaTauri clearly struggling for any pace this season, getting multiple points finishes in a row will be a struggle, but not something Tsunoda is afraid to go for. He commented on this and said:
“Consistency was key, especially last year, so I was able to improve. In the first races, I was happy; I knew why.
“I was slightly [in] a bit of comfort zone, and I had kind of rhythm. After Barcelona, there were two races that I lost the points in an unfortunate way.”
Yuki Tsunoda racing during the Spanish Grand Prix (Credit: David Ramos via GettyImages)Tsunoda was denied p9 in Barcelona, getting a penalty for forcing Zhou Guanyu off the track. Now, he’s 17th in the Driver Standings on only three points.
“Since then, I started to lose the rhythm. I recognize the amount I have to improve still.
“[Spa was] back to the same shape, or similar shape, I had in the beginning of the season. So really happy and just keep improving.”
Featured Image Credit: Marco Canoniero via Getty Images