AlphaTauri new boy Yuki Tsunoda says he’ll be pushing from the start because mistakes are “inevitable” in his rookie Formula 1 season.
The Japanese driver steps up at the junior Red Bull team after claiming third in his one and only year in F2 last year, replacing Daniil Kvyat alongside Pierre Gasly.
His impressive performances mean Tsunoda arrives in F1 with decent expectations, even drawing comparisons to the likes of Lando Norris from veteran team owner Trevor Carlin.
But Tsunoda, who recently completed another test in the 2018 car at Imola, sees 2021 very much as a learning year.
“This will be my rookie season and I will be pushing hard right from the beginning to adapt to the car as much as possible,” the 20-year-old was quoted by Motorsport Week.
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“However, I’m not afraid to make mistakes. I will of course try and limit them, but they are inevitable at the beginning.
“I am confident I can learn from my mistakes though, as I proved last year in Formula 2.”
Reflecting on his F2 campaign, which could have been much better had luck been on his side, Tsunoda highlighted the progression he made throughout the year.
“Last year for me was a season in which I made a big improvement in all aspects of my job,” he said.
“First of all, in terms of my driving but also in terms of my mentality and psychology regarding how I approached my racing.
“From the mid-season on, I worked with a psychological trainer and we talked a lot about my racing – how I prepare for the race and my attitude during the race – as well as other factors.
“That resulted in my mentality improving a lot. By the end of the season, it was not yet where I wanted to be, but had improved so much since the start of the season.”
