“My performance was very inconsistent” – Yuki Tsunoda has had a poor F1 debut season so far but is hoping to do well henceforth and save his AlphaTauri seat for next season.
Yuki Tsunoda arrived in F1 this season with the backing of Honda, and a P3 finish in F2 last season. Hopes were high, especially after strong pre-season testing and opening his points account for AlphaTauri in the season-opener at Bahrain.
But since then, it has gone all downhill for the Japanese. Frequent crashes and radio outbursts have led to AlphaTauri shifting him to near their base in Faenza, Italy.
There’s little improvement, and halfway through the season, he has amassed a meagre 18 points, with teammate Pierre Gasly scoring more than thrice.
No wonder Tsunoda is disappointed, admitting that Formula 1 is not turning out how he expected it to be prior to the start of his rookie campaign.
“It did not really match with what I had thought it might be like before the season started. There were lots of ups and downs and at times my performance was very inconsistent.
“But overall, I am quite happy because I managed to score points, helping Alpha Tauri to be the only team to score points in every race so far this year. We need to keep that going now as we start the second half of the year.”
Yuki Tsunoda glad to be back racing at Spa
The second half of the season opens at Spa, Belgium, and it’s a track the Japanese has good memories from. And as such, he would be hoping this track heralds the start of a resurgence for him, as he bids to save his AlphaTauri seat for next season.
“It’s great that we start racing again at Spa, because I have very good memories from this track.
“Last year in Formula 2, I won the Feature Race starting from pole position and the year before that in Formula 3, it was here that I got my first podium in the category.
“I like the track, so I am looking forward to it and I think it will be one of the circuits that will feel extra special in a Formula 1 car for the first time, it will be an especially interesting experience to see how an F1 car goes through Eau Rouge.”
