It was the straw which broke the camel’s back for Yuki Tsunoda in Formula One: a final unleashing of road rage, with sparks flying on the asphalt and over the airwaves.
Disgruntled over a late-race position swap at last year’s season-opener in Bahrain, Tsunoda was eager to vent his exasperation after the race concluded. As cars trundled aimlessly back to the pits, Tsunoda divebombed his teammate Daniel Ricciardo before swerving erratically – and dangerously – towards the second RB car. “Yeah thanks guys,” Tsunoda ranted, sarcastically, over team radio. “I appreciate it.”
Ricciardo, generally not one to lose his cool, momentarily did: “What the f*** is wrong? I’ll save it... f***ing helmet.”
It is the instance of immaturity Tsunoda himself brings up, at the end of a 15-minute conversation with The Independent, which flicked a switch in his mind: the fiery blow-ups could not continue.
“I never felt controlling my emotions was the key to my success, it was just my natural character,” Tsunoda says, fully aware now that his audible frustrations were a hindrance to his development. A journey which takes him to the present day, to this weekend at his home race in Japan, and a spot in the Red Bull garage.
“My mindset would be to take my stress out on the track and then focus afterwards. These days, F1 is more political and has more sponsors. You need to find a balance. You don’t want a driver shouting emotions… the team wants to hear specific feedback.
“I had to change my approach for the future, after what happened with Daniel in Bahrain last year. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be sticking around in F1. It’s the one area I’ve worked really hard at – and it’s helped change my mindset and be more serious.”
Eighty-nine races into his F1 career, Tsunoda will need all of that new-found composure in abundance as he takes on F1’s poisoned chalice: a seat alongside four-time world champion Max Verstappen at Red Bull.
Many believed that 24-year-old Tsunoda deserved his crack this year anyhow, when Liam Lawson was picked to replace Sergio Perez by Red Bull team principal Christian Horner back in December. Yet after the most
