Yuki Tsunoda: I practiced a lot during my break

AlphaTauri riders Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda shared how they spent their summer holidays and shared their expectations for the Belgian Grand Prix.

Pierre Gasly: “I enjoyed my summer vacation and went to Greece for the first time, where I spent a week with my friends. Then I returned to France, where I rested with my parents, brothers, cousins, and then went to Spain for a few days. Nothing special but I was able to relax, spend time with my family and exercise. I wanted to rest well for the last part of the season.

Then I went back to work, starting with a session on the simulator. Since Monday everyone has been working at maximum efficiency so my phone is more torn from calls than in the previous three weeks!

The track in Spa is one of my favorites. This weekend we start a series of three stages, but after the break I am happy to get back behind the wheel and race. Several races before the summer break proved difficult for us – we didn’t earn any points and everything was not in our favour. The team did not want the results.

Since the podium in France, we have new items that we already understand better. However, it remains difficult for us as the battle in the middle group is very tight. We are not giving up and will continue to work hard to get the most out of the car as soon as possible and fight for the points every weekend.

Last year the race was actually canceled due to rain, and this weekend we will see changes on the track – first of all I am interested in the Eau Rouge-Raidillon combination. Much work has been done since Antoine Hubert’s crash, leading to changes on this part of the track and the appearance of new gravel safety zones.

Yuki Tsunoda: “I had a good summer vacation and practiced a lot. The first week I spent on a training base in Austria, where I worked with a sports psychologist and a physiotherapist. The second week was off and then I returned to Faenza to continue training, doing wakeboarding and other fun activities.

About 70% of the time I was working out but I know it will help me so I chose not to fully relax during the break. However, I managed to relax, turn off the phone for a few days and not think about racing. Was great.

It’s interesting to see the changes in Spa – I’ve only seen them in the simulator so far, but I don’t think the Eau Rouge has changed much. More changes are due to Raidillon, where the departure zone at the exit has been changed and gravel catchers have appeared on some other parts of the track.

I like the track, especially the medium speed and fast corners. Spa is one of the best routes on the calendar and one of my top five favorites.

My approach this weekend will not change from what I followed in the first half of the season. As far as expectations go, however, I’ve made an effort to “reset” my mind and start with a clean slate. I feel strong and rested – I’m very motivated for the second half of the season.”