Yuki Tsunoda has completed three years in F1 and has already left a mark on the sport with his aggressive driving style. In these three years, he has driven with some of the top talents, including his Red Bull peers. There is, however, one man in that coveted list whom he holds in the highest regard. That man is 2-time world champion Fernando Alonso.
In an episode of Beyond The Grid podcast earlier last year, Tsunoda said, “Well, I respect the other drivers obviously, but I’m a fan of Fernando because my dad loves Fernando.”
“When I went to the Suzuka Grand Prix when I was 12, my dad was saying that Fernando’s driving out of the last corner was consistently close to the white line and he was nailing every lap. Since then, I watched Fernando, and I still can’t believe I’m racing with him”, the 23-year-old added.
It has almost become a trope in F1 to compare Alonso‘s experience with younger drivers’ age. While the Spaniard’s F1 career is longer than Oscar Piastri’s age, Yuki was born less than a year before Alonso’s F1 debut. thus, the Japanese driver has followed his hero ever since he became aware of his love for motorsport.
Not only is it an honor for Tsunoda to share and compete on the grid with his childhood hero, but also a surreal experience. They often say that one must never meet their heroes as they could come out feeling disappointed. But Yuki’s admiration for Fernando has only grown since he met him.
That is because the #22 driver has learned some valuable lessons from the man himself. While the AlphaTauri driver’s aggressive prowess is well known, his defensive technique once left much to be desired. The reason it does not anymore is Alonso.
How Fernando Alonso unknowingly taught Yuki Tsunoda a valuable lesson
At the 2021 Hungarian GP, Lewis Hamilton was a man on a mission when he was attacking Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese driver could not hold him back for more than 4 laps. However, once Hamilton progressed towards Alonso, the Spaniard defended with all his might to hold the Mercedes ace for as long as he could.
Tsunoda, after the race, took notes on Alonso’s positioning while defending and also on his ability to exploit the track’s peculiarities to hold Hamilton back. Those lessons came in handy when he once again got the opportunity to defend against the 7-time champion at the Turkish GP. This time around, Tsunoda held his own for 8 long laps before Hamilton got the better of him.
⚠️ | Yuki Tsunoda says he “tried to copy Alonso as much as possible” to defend from Lewis Hamilton at the 2021 Turkish GP.
— formularacers (@formularacers_) April 19, 2023
The 23-year-old gladly gave the credit for that feat where it was due. He said, “I tried to copy Fernando as much as possible and I was able to defend from him for eight laps that time.” Even Hamilton could not help but laud Tsunoda’s grit behind the wheel once the race was over.
The pocket-sized dynamo has left many impressed with his progress over the years. Despite having experienced drivers as teammates, Tsunoda has managed to cement his position at Red Bull’s sister team. As is any AlphaTauri driver’s dream, he too would be aiming for a promotion to the main team. If his progress continues the way it has until now, it will only be a matter of when rather than if.
