2021 saw three rookies join the Formula 1 grid, with Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin joining Haas while Yuki Tsunoda signed for AlphaTauri.
Going into 2023 only Tsunoda remains in the sport, with Mazepin only lasting a year and Schumacher recently being replaced by Nico Hulkenberg as Haas looked for a more experienced driver to lead them in the new era of F1.
Tsunoda got off to a rocky start with AlphaTauri back in 2021 however, often going past them limit and crashing his AlphaTauri on a number of occasions while his teammate Pierre Gasly continued to impress.
The Japanese driver was criticised for his temper as he would often swear and shout over the team radio if he was not happy with his car or another driver, leaving fans to suggest that Tsunoda would not last long in F1.
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It has been suggested that the root of Tsunoda’s struggles were culture based, as the rookie moved to Milton Keynes alone from Japan, without a full grasp of English or the drastically different lifestyle.
Tsunoda has greatly improved since his rough start to life in F1 and has now credited his team’s decision to relocate him to his upturn in form.
“In F1, when you arrive at a track, there is a lot of stress going around, so it is important to be as comfortable as possible when you are away from the track and when you are in the house,” Tsunoda told GPFans.
“In the UK, the atmosphere there was as much as I wanted. The weather especially impacted me. Weather is quite an important thing for me, and food as well.
“So when I went to Italy, I already felt more energetic, more than usual. Then I felt it was a big, important move and was having a good impact on me.
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“From then, I started to have a good rhythm when I got to the track, focussing fully on my race.”
Tsunoda was also helped by his heart-warming relationship with Pierre Gasly, as the Frenchman took the rookie under his wing and the pair formed a strong bond during their two years working together.
As Gasly departs for Alpine, he has claimed that Tsunoda has everything necessary to become the team leader at AlphaTauri and fill the role vacated by his move away from the team.