Yuki Tsunoda was recently awarded the ‘Overtake of the Month’ award courtesy of Crypto.com. And even before the presenter could reveal the move that won Tsunoda the accolade, his Visa Cash App RB (V-CARB) teammate, Daniel Ricciardo guessed it!
In a video uploaded to Formula 1’s official X handle, Ricciardo can be seen guessing the move that won the young Japanese driver the award. Tsunoda pulled an audacious move and made it stick on the outside of turn 6 during the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix.
An overtake so clean, Danny Ric knew straight away
Yuki Tsunoda wins April’s @cryptocom Overtake of the Month, as voted by you! pic.twitter.com/V0YYEmoQ1O
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 4, 2024
The 23-year-old detailed the overtake he executed on Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg. He explained, “I was kind of planning already from the first chicane. In the first sector, you need a kind of rhythm to overtake outside and I used the momentum from the previous corners.”
By his admission, the 23-year-old has been racing at the Suzuka International Circuit since 2016. With more than “10,000 laps” under his belt, the homeboy was able to put on a flurry of amazing overtakes for his fans to witness during the GP weekend.
The future is bright for Yuki Tsunoda in F1
Yuki Tsunoda has had a brilliant start to the 2024 season. He has been miles ahead of Ricciardo in terms of both, Qualifying and Race pace. What’s more, his Miami GP exploits mean that he now sits in the top 10 of the driver’s standings with 14 points to his name.
His performances have turned a lot of heads in the paddock. Most notably, Red Bull consultant, Helmut Marko has been holding the #22 driver in very high regard. So much so that the Austrian has agreed to give him a nod of consideration for a Red Bull promotion next year.
️Helmut Marko about Yuki Tsunoda after Japanese GP
“He is the first Japanese to score a point here in twelve years,” says Helmut Marko happily. His mistakes and lack of control are a thing of the past.
He has really blossomed!.” pic.twitter.com/fAZWuCkDIo
— XI.V.MM™ (@adonustikuy) April 7, 2024
Even if the Red Bull seat does not materialize, Tsunoda has done enough to secure his future. Honda has expressed their intentions to keep backing the 23-year-old in F1. Further, with the Japanese automobile giants moving to Aston Martin as their engine supplier from 2026 onwards, a chance could open up for Tsunoda at the Silverstone-based team.
