Yuki Tsunoda is getting ready for his home race

The Japanese Grand Prix is ​​the home race for Yuki Tsunoda. AlphaTauri racer and his partner Pierre Gasly shared what they expect from the weekend in Suzuka.

Yuki Tsunoda: “My first visit to Singapore was not what I had hoped for. We didn’t look our best on Friday, but recovered on Saturday and reached the final of qualifying, which I was happy about. There were difficult conditions in the race and we switched to slicks too early. However, I made a mistake myself – I missed the braking point and crashed the car. I have left it in the past and now fully focused on the coming weekend and the first home race.

On the one hand, the race in Japan is the same as everyone else, but on the other hand, I’ve been waiting for this stage since my debut in Formula 1. I’ve raced a lot in Suzuka in Formula 4 so I know the track well, but when I drove through it on a Formula 1 simulator I realized that this is a very different world. The Formula 1 car has massive downforce, allowing most of the circle to be driven with the accelerator down to the ground. However, experience will help me – I remember how to fly in Suzuka.

I am looking forward to racing in front of my home fans and I know there is a lot of interest from them on the podium. It’s hard for me to imagine what will happen on track, but the weekend will definitely be different from the others – I’m looking forward to a new experience for myself.

I like this kind of attention – I’m not one to feel pressured. Behind the wheel I am fully concentrated and the support gives me extra energy, which is handy and nice. My friends and family come to Suzuka. I know that tickets were even bought by those for whom I could not get an invitation. And more importantly, I can eat Japanese all week!”

Pierre Gasly: “In Singapore, we missed the opportunity to earn a lot of points in the Constructors’ Championship, so it is necessary to analyze the past weekend carefully. To be honest, we didn’t look very competitive on a dry track on Friday, but qualifying was interesting and the car’s settings allowed for a good performance in the race.

At one point it looked like we were making the most of our opportunities – I was in a high position ahead of the Aston Martin racers, but I switched to slicks too early and couldn’t recoup. We have to try to work better because until the end of the season we still have the potential to show a good result. We should already start in Japan – I’m glad we’re returning to Suzuka after a two year break.

Suzuka is an incredible track, especially the first sector with its fast corners. The track is one of my top three favorites and performing for Japanese fans as a Honda driver is always special. I get a lot of support in Japan – it’s a shame we haven’t performed in that country in recent years.

I like Japanese culture, Tokyo and local cuisine, although Yuki is more of an expert in this area! I am very happy that we came to Japan again. We last visited this course in 2019. I had a good weekend then – qualified ninth and finished seventh. Let’s see what results we can get this time.”