Yuki Tsunoda says the arrival of Daniel Ricciardo is forcing him to push the limits on the track

Tsunoda scored his first points in Belgium since the Azerbaijan GP in April,

Yuki Tsunoda says the arrival of Daniel Ricciardo is forcing him to push the limits on the track

Yuki Tsunoda (Credits: Autoweek) and Daniel Ricciardo (Credits: The Guardian)

Yuki Tsunoda has been the only point scorer for AlphaTauri so far this season. The 23-year-old made an impressive points finish in Belgium on P10 over his new teammate Daniel Ricciardo at P16. Despite giving solid performances, with reports suggesting that Ricciardo would become the new lead driver for AlphaTauri, Tsunoda said that Ricciardo’s arrival has indeed added a lot more pressure on him.

Yuki Tsunoda said that Ricciardo’s arrival has been challenging for him. While he admitted he had made many mistakes due to the increased pressure, he added that this new experience has been very informative. He believes he is learning a lot from Ricciardo, who has been racing in F1 since 2011.

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“I’m learning a lot, especially getting challenged by an experienced driver… He’s a top driver, and we know that he’s fast. It’s also a bit of pressure for myself, and probably that made me rush and a couple of mistakes in the last couple of races,” Tsunoda told Autosports.

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Yuki Tsunoda can have a dream mentor in Sebastian Vettel if he stays at AlphaTauri long enough

Sebastian Vettel and Yuki Tsunoda
Sebastian Vettel and Yuki Tsunoda (Credits: Speedcafe.com)

Yuki Tsunoda is one of the most promising young drivers in F1. Amidst the chaos in AlphaTauri with the firing of Nyck de Vries and the arrival of Daniel Ricciardo, Tsunoda has remained unfazed and is delivering impressive performances. AlphaTauri boss Franz Tost’s recent interview with NTV suggested that Tsunoda could also see F1 legend Sebastian Vettel as his mentor in the near future.

Tost said that Vettel can always be seen in F1, whether as a racer or a mentor. He expressed his excitement at the prospect of Vettel’s return, saying that he would discuss some exciting possibilities with him on a ski trip they have planned together.

“Sebastian Vettel can always be imagined in Formula 1. I mean, he knows Formula 1 inside out. He’s a flagship for Formula 1, and I would be happy if he were involved in some capacity in Formula 1 again,” said Tost.

With Vettel’s constant engagement in environmentalist activities and F1’s 2026 plan to make the engines run on fully sustainable fuels, it might be the perfect time for him to make his return. One of the possible means of his return is with Audi, which is set to join F1 in 2026.

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