F1 rising star Yuki Tsunoda: ‘Every other driver is the enemy’
There is a joyful exuberance to Yuki Tsunoda that is almost magnetic. The Japanese driver has brought dash and verve to Formula One and has been unafraid to pepper it with expletives. Refreshingly the 20-year-old, one of F1’s most exciting prospects, is unrepentant.
His rise has been positively meteoric but tangling at the sharper end of a grid populated by four world champions and some exceptional talent besides holds no fears for Tsunoda. “When I am racing I do not think about them,” he says without hesitation at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino
Ferrari before this weekend’s Emilia
Romagna Grand Prix in Imola. “Every driver is the same for me, they are the enemy. I don’t think about whether they are world champions or that it is an honour to race them, not when I am driving.”
After only one race Tsunoda has drawn plaudits from across the paddock. He scored points on his debut for AlphaTauri at the season opener in Bahrain. His driving caught the attention as did his occasional swearing over team radio; F1 apparently shocked at a young man venting publicly with such unabashed brio.
Tsunoda, who grew up in Sagamihara City, chuckles gently – surprised at the interest his colourful grasp of English has attracted – but sees no reason to neuter his character behind the wheel.
“When I am gaming with my friends I swear a lot in my house in Japan,” he says. “I go more crazy than in racing – like throwing the controller – I made two holes already in my apartment.
I broke a couple of things which is double stress for me. In racing I always have passion, I am more serious about the racing so it’s easy to swear but at the same time I am really focused.”
His former team boss in F2, Trevor Carlin from the Carlin team, even offered his belated apologies to the AlphaTauri principal Franz Tost, albeit tinged with pride. “Yuki has spent a year with a bunch of British mechanics learning all the British swear words,” he says. “Which I think Franz was a bit shocked about with Yuki effing and blinding on the radio. But he genuinely enjoys racing, he is fiercely loyal, he will embed himself in the team really well and is like a sponge for knowledge.”
F1 needs characters and Tsunoda is a breath of fresh air, with an infectious enthusiasm backed by talent, ambition and a mature work ethic. In Bahrain, with AlphaTauri enjoying a very competitive car, he started from 13th, made a poor opening lap and dropped to 17th before coming back strongly to claim ninth. His performance was