Tsunoda feels stuck with detrimental 'image of who I am'
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Racing Bulls' Yuki Tsunoda believes his early struggles in Formula 1 continue to shape how he is perceived by Red Bull's management, despite substantial progress over the years.
Tsunoda will remain with RB for a fifth season in 2025, once again missing out on a coveted promotion to Red Bull Racing.
Despite the Japanese drivers' experience and strong performances relative to his teammates, Red Bull has chosen the younger Liam Lawson to partner Max Verstappen for the 2025 F1 season, leaving Tsunoda to reflect on what more he could have done to earn the opportunity.
The Struggle Against First Impressions
The 24-year-old believes that his erratic entry into the sport back in 2021 has left a lasting impression on his career and barred him from moving up a step with Red Bull.
"I think that part of it is kind of my fault because I wasn't really able to perform straight away in the first year," Tsunoda told Motorsport.com.
"It creates a bit of an image of who I am."
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Even as Tsunoda improved his consistency and demonstrated growth, he felt his performances were undervalued compared to his peers.
"[In 2024], even though I was performing well, I feel like I didn't really get credit as much as probably other drivers get, but it is what it is," he added.
"I just naturally keep doing what I'm doing, performing well, and proving them wrong."
Determined to Change Perceptions
Tsunoda remains focused on controlling what he can and leaving no room for Red Bull to question his capabilities.
"I just try to give them fewer excuses or reasons why I am not in the seat," he explained.
"So, I just focus on what I can control… I'm sure I can do a better job than what they are thinking."
The Japanese driver has worked hard to address the criticisms often leveled against him, including his communication and technical feedback, areas he admits were once weaknesses.
"I would say the communications side has improved, mainly my language on the radio," Tsunoda said.
"The calmness, I would say, is also definitely improved—more technical feedback, more focused. I can definitely feel the improvement throughout the year, and I'm very happy with it."
However, Tsunoda acknowledges there is still room to grow:
"What I have to improve more is still the technical feedback, especially the amount of feedback you can give in the race. I think I definitely can say more, and sometimes it's not really consistent."
Navigating Challenges in a Tough Season
RB faced an inconsistent 2024 season, with Tsunoda often unable to showcase his progress due to the car's fluctuating performance.
"For us, it was more difficult to consistently show our performance. Even though you have a good performance, sometimes the car's performance doesn't really follow that," he said.
"But still, I'm pretty happy with the consistency so far. I always say I could have done a couple of races much better, but I showed I'm pretty consistent."
Tsunoda pointed to the challenges RB faced with upgrades, which allowed competitors like Haas to overtake them mid-season.
"I started really well, and I was in the points pretty consistently, because also the car was pretty good," he said.
"At some point, we weren't able to improve our car with upgrades, and actually Haas and other competitors started to overtake our car performance," he said.
Grateful for Racing Bulls' Support
While Red Bull may have overlooked Tsunoda, RB remains steadfast in its support of him.
As the team transitions into its new Milton Keynes facility alongside its Faenza base, Tsunoda expressed gratitude for the backing of his team's top brass, team principal Laurent Mekies and CEO Peter Bayer.
"I feel definitely massive support from the team," he said.
"They understood every race what happened, and definitely I got a lot of trust from them. That's what always matters, and I really appreciated those efforts from them."
Tsunoda also dismissed the noise from critics on social media, focusing instead on the opinions of those within the team.
"To be honest, I don't really care much about what people are saying on social media, because they don't know what exactly happening," he stated.
"It only matters what the team thinks about me, and I feel definitely a massive support from the team.
"They understood every race what happened, and definitely I got a lot of trust from them. That's what always matters and I really appreciated those efforts from them."
The Road Ahead
For now, Tsunoda remains committed to Racing Bulls and determined to continue proving himself.
Despite the lingering shadow of first impressions and the perception of his limitations, the Japanese charger is optimistic about his future in Formula 1 and focused on continuing his upward trajectory.
"It's all about showing what I can do on the track," Tsunoda said. "I'll keep pushing to prove them wrong."
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