Yuki Tsunoda started in the top 10 in half of the 24 Grand Prix contested this year and scored points nine times, achieving a personal best ranking of 12th in the Drivers' Championship. Among its highlights, we note an impressive third place in a qualifying sessionin the rain at the São Paulo Grand Prix, as well as 7th places in Australia, Miami and Brazil.
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Looking back on his fourth season in F1 and giving it a score out of 10, the Racing Bulls driver said: “I would say eight. There were a few races where I could have done better. Compared to the last four years, this is certainly one of my best seasons.”
“I scored more than half of the team's points and showed good consistency, while regularly outperforming my teammates. I hope this will make them trust me more. I provide a lot of feedback to the team to improve the car, and we have managed to turn things around in many races. In these areas, I have really reached a milestone”he declares.
A performance praised by Laurent Mekies
This self-assessment was confirmed by Racing Bulls team boss Laurent Mekies, who praised the efforts“remarkable” of the Japanese driver during the season. Asked about Yuki Tsunoda's performance at the end of the season, Mekies said: “Of course he continues to impress me. If you look at the drivers' performances, they closely mirror those of the team throughout the year. »
“We had a slow start, a fantastic series of races, then a more difficult period with development problems. Ultimately, we managed to get the car back into the right performance window for this final part of the season, and the drivers' results reflect that. »
“But when I see Yuki performing at this level again, like he did in the last few races, it shows that his season has been exceptional. I think he reached a milestone this year that no one could have predicted, and that's something he can be proud of. »
Yuki Tsunoda made his testing debut with Red Bull at the end-of-season rally in Abu Dhabi. However, despite his performances, the team confirmed his former teammate Liam Lawson to replace Sergio Perez as Max Verstappen's partner next year, while F2 runner-up Isack Hadjar rejoindra Yuki Tsunoda en 2025.
