AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda is approaching his all-important third season in Formula 1, meaning it’s now or never for the Japanese driver to show off his potential.
Team principal Franz Tost has long been a believer that a rookie needs three seasons to fully adjust to the pinnacle of motorsport, meaning Tsunoda could find himself out of the series should he fail to deliver this season.
In order to be as prepared as possible, the 22-year-old has partnered up with Daniel Ricciardo’s former coach Michael Italiano, with Tsunoda having spent time with him during an off-season training camp.
“I was there for two weeks, working on my general fitness and the time was also important to get to know my new coach, who used to work with Ricciardo,” said Tsunoda, as reported by Speedcafe.com.
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“One of the main targets of the camp was to build our relationship so that we understand one another before testing and racing begins.
“That went well and so did the actual training, where we focused mainly on the endurance side.”
Working with Ricciardo’s former coach is the latest change that Tsunoda has made to try and improve his performance, with him having moved from Milton Keynes to Faenza, in order to be closer to the team’s base.
Tost also put Tsunoda onto a strict programme following his move ahead of the 2022 campaign, something that the Japanese driver looks back on as having made a “big difference”.
“That made a big difference to my physical condition in general, meaning that my concentration levels and performance improved in the races,” Tsunoda said.
As well as getting to know his coach during a recent training camp in Dubai, the AlphaTauri driver was joined by his new team-mate, Nyck de Vries.
This gave the duo time to bond, with Tsunoda believing that the pair have a “good relationship”, something the driver is hopeful will result in strong results for the team in the forthcoming season.
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“Nyck was also training in Dubai, so we got the opportunity to spend a little bit of time together,” Tsunoda said.
“We knew each other before then from past years. We already have a good relationship, and we will build more on that now as team-mates this season.
“I think together we make a strong pairing, with the aim of helping the team progress this year. I also believe I can learn things from Nyck.”