“That’s why we brought him to Europe”- Helmut Marko reveals what impressed him about Yuki Tsunoda

“That’s why we brought him to Europe”- Helmut Marko reveals what impressed him about Yuki Tsunoda the most before selecting him.

Yuki Tsunoda, the Japanese prodigy is the new Red Bull product set to make his debut in Formula 1 with Alpha Tauri in 2021. He certainly had an impressive year in F2, as he finished third in the table with 200 points, only 15 points behind the winner Mick Schumacher.

Considering, it was his debut season in F2, the 20-year-old impressed the bosses at Red Bull, and made promoted him by displacing Daniil Kvyat.

Helmut Marko, who played a crucial role in bringing him to Europe told what impressed him the most about Tsunoda, who was initially brought in by their current power unit suppliers Honda.

“He gave me a list with three names and their CVs. Tsunoda’s name jumped out and that’s why we brought him to Europe,” said Marko to Kronen Zeitung, who was immediately convinced after the first test of the Japanese in a Formula 3 car.

“His speed is great, he is intelligent and he has an outspoken character. This makes him an asset to Formula 1.” he further said.

Interesting to see him grow while partnering Pierre Gasly

The 2021 year will host three rookies as starters and one as a reserve driver under the current updates provided by the teams. Therefore, 15% of drivers on track will be inexperienced next year.

Moreover, with the current paddock largely being under-25, there is a lot of fresh blood around, and this year will certainly dawn a new era, now it remains to be seen who will make it to the next step, as Formula 1 seats propel cut-throat competition.

And there is only a little room for mistakes, and one with little bad luck can forever be axed from the sport. So, it remains to be seen, how Tsunoda will prosper amidst this challenge.

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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