In an interview with Macao News, Japanese RB driver Yuki Tsunoda spoke about his career in motorsport…
Q: How was your experience performing in Macau? Is this circuit similar to Monaco?
Yuki Tsunoda: I remember Macau was nice, but the race was quite difficult.
In comparison, everything is better organized in Monaco. It is more of a race track and Macau is a real street circuit with fast corners. One of the most difficult is the Lisboa Bend, which you approach even in Formula 3 at 280 km/h. Monaco does not have such a long section, so the Macau circuit seems faster and the Monaco circuit more technical.
Q: How would you describe your rise in the world of Formula 1?
Yuki Tsunoda: I grew quickly in several areas as a racer, but especially as a person.
I spent my first season in Formula 4 in Japan and only thought about racing. I lived with my family and felt comfortable. In 2019, I moved to Switzerland because of the switch to Formula 3. The situation changed. It was the first time I lived alone and spoke English with others.
Communicating with the team proved to be very difficult. In Japan I spoke Japanese and could easily describe what I needed from the setup and the car. But my English was poor; sometimes I couldn’t explain everything properly. The first half of the season after the move proved difficult.
Q: What difficulties did you encounter when you entered Formula 1?
Yuki Tsunoda: The most difficult thing was working with the press. Despite Formula 2 and Formula 1 being in the same paddock, it is a completely different world. Lots of journalists, team events, obligations to sponsors – it is not just racing. It was necessary to deal with different situations under pressure.
The first year my partner was Pierre Gasly. He helped me in many things, we built a good relationship. It helped me to stabilize my mind, stay focused and feel motivated to race.
Q: What was your most memorable career moment?
Yuki Tsunoda: My first Formula 1 race is Bahrain 2021. Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso started nearby. They were already fighting for victories when I was seven years old. I couldn’t believe that the racers I saw as a child were still there and that I was fighting with them.
Q: Which place in Macau would you recommend to your Formula 1 colleagues to visit? And who would you invite?
Yuki Tsunoda: I would choose a Chinese restaurant after consulting Guanyu Zhou. He understands them better. I would go with him.
Q: You sing well. What’s your favorite karaoke song?
Yuki Tsunoda: Lately I’ve been singing “Castle on the Hill” by Ed Sheeran.
Q: If you weren’t a Formula 1 driver, what would you be?
Yuki Tsunoda: Chef or footballer.
Q: What position would you play?
Yuki Tsunoda: I play once a week with mechanics and engineers. I think I am good in midfield.
Motorsport is a team sport, but it can also be called an individual sport. On the track, every driver is selfish, and in football you can’t be selfish, so I’m not so good at team sports. But I like to play, I pass quite accurately, I’m more of an attacking midfielder.
Question: What advice would you give us?
Yuki Tsunoda: Red Bull gives you wings! [смеется]
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
