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Tsunoda to Surprise F1 World in Fourth Year

Mekies: Tsunoda’s Critical Growth Year Ahead

19/03/2024

As Yuki Tsunoda enters his fourth F1 season, RB F1 and Laurent Mekies set high expectations for his development, aiming for a significant advancement in 2024 alongside veteran Daniel Ricciardo.

RB F1’s Director, Laurent Mekies, acknowledges the team’s desire to see Yuki Tsunoda take “a new step forward” in 2024 to demonstrate his ongoing development as a driver.

Now in his fourth Formula 1 season, Tsunoda made his debut with the team, then known as AlphaTauri, in 2021. The Japanese driver has shown signs of improvement since then, albeit with some inconsistency.

Speaking on the Beyond The Grid podcast, Mekies expressed hope that, with Tsunoda now racing alongside the seasoned Daniel Ricciardo, the 23-year-old could further hone his skills.

“Having Daniel in the team is fantastic in the way we assess Yuki, in the way we try to nurture Yuki’s growth. It provides an excellent benchmark, and therefore, for us, it’s as beneficial to have Daniel’s experience and speed as it is to have Yuki’s raw speed and youth.”

“What we expect from Yuki is for him to take that next step. The best drivers are always moving forward. They gain a deeper understanding of the tires, they can go faster in given situations with experience.”

“With their fundamental perceptions of a car, how they link what they feel in the car with their exchanges with their engineers, the depth of the relationship they can build with the team. If you have the necessary bandwidth in your brain, your understanding of the car deepens.”

“If you can utilize this while driving, you’ll be faster. Yuki is enhancing this capacity year by year, and that’s why there’s still pace to come. He astonishes the F1 world each year. It’s his fourth year. Will he continue to surprise? That’s the question we’re eager to see answered.”

Tsunoda to Surprise F1 World in Fourth Year Tsunoda to Surprise F1 World in Fourth Year

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