“I expected it to be a little bit less hard”- Yuki Tsunoda on demanding physicality by an F1 car after his first test

“I expected it to be a little bit less hard”- Yuki Tsunoda on the demanding physical fitness by an F1 car, as the Japanese made test debut for Alpha Tauri.

Yuki Tsunoda was long expected to turn up for Alpha Tauri from next season onwards, as the Japanese driver doing a brilliant job with his current F1 team.

💬 “Today’s session, my first time in a F1 car, was great fun. A whole different world to the F2 car especially in terms of the increased power and the braking performance… I just focused on getting used to the F1 car and completing the 300 kms…”@yukitsunoda07 Full Quote 👇

— Scuderia AlphaTauri (@AlphaTauriF1) November 4, 2020

With Helmut Marko’s recent statements, it was clear that Tsunoda will be coming to the secondary team of the franchise. Amidst all of this, Tsunoda gave his first test in Alpha Tauti car at Imola.

However, according to Tsunoda he was taken by the surprise that an F1 car asks for this intense level of physical fitness. “It was easier for the driving, but also harder for the more physical aspects,” Tsunoda said.

“I expected it to be a little bit less hard from a physical (perspective), especially the neck because I have quite a lot of confidence that I don’t get a tired neck.

In my life, even in Formula 2 I don’t feel the neck much and my neck is pretty strong, but after I drove the Formula 1 car today it was pretty hard.

“It felt hard, especially in the braking zones, the braking performance, I always went (forwards) and I tried to avoid going like that but still the braking power is more than I expected. So I need to do lots of training until the next session or next event I drive Formula 1, to prepare a lot.”

Tsunoda is expected to replace Daniil Kvyat next season and is likely to get an FP1 outing at one of the final three rounds this year, but Formula 2 is racing on two of those weekends in Bahrain.

Its a skill to shift from birth F2 go F1

The Japanese youngster admits it will be a tough test of his skills if he has to drive both cars on the same day, given the difference in performance between machinery.

“The power, after I went on the throttle, you feel initially a big power from the engine which I don’t feel that much in Formula 2. I think that power is more than I expected.

The first session was raining, but even in the rain, there is really, really big performance when you initially went on the throttle, even in wet conditions it was more than I felt in Formula 2 in dry conditions.

So that was the biggest surprise for me today. And also the second thing for me was the braking performance in dry conditions was really big. Huge.

“If I drive Free Practice 1 in Bahrain, Formula 1, it’s going to be a very tight schedule. I need to adapt quickly to each car. There’s a big difference between F2 and F1. It’s going to be a challenging weekend. Also, I have to put together all my experience from F2. It’s going to be a big challenge if I drive F1 FP1.

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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