AlphaTauri Yuki Tsunoda draws comparison between Nyck de Vries and Daniel Ricciardo and reveals what he misses about his ex-teammate
Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo have completed three Formula 1 weekends as teammates so far after Nyck de Vries was forced out early at AlphaTauri. In a direct comparison, Tsunoda sees clear differences between the two in terms of how they operate.
“Nyck has much less experience than Daniel, so he probably had to find out every race what kind of style he needs to adapt to the team. With Daniel, I can see that he has much clearer goals and is very aware of his task. The confidence was there straight away,” Tsunoda says.
“He is really experienced and the way he behaves in meetings with the engineers and things like that is very different. He’s really calmer. But it’s also hard to compare,” he admits. “For me it would be easier to compare Pierre and Daniel than Nyck with him, because he’s a very different driver considering how he came into Formula One.”
“Nyck came from Formula E, never had Formula 1 experience, and Ricciado is one of the great drivers in Formula 1. I think both have given good feedback to the team, even if Daniel is probably even better in how to give a clear direction, because he also drove at Red Bull and other teams. “
Tsunoda: Close relationship with Nyck de Vries
When asked what he misses about de Vries, Tsunoda says: “The feedback he gave the team was always very specific. I learned a lot of things, and I’m probably still not at that level in terms of the amount of feedback and how specific he was in what he said.”
And he also misses the Dutchman as a friend, he said. “We had a good relationship. Daniel I just met and we only worked together for a few races. So in terms of friendship, I probably talked more with Nyck on Thursday. I miss that part.”
There is still time for Tsunoda and Ricciardo to strengthen their intra-team relationship – perhaps beyond 2024. Ricciardo recently made it clear that he wants to remain part of the Red Bull family, hinting at staying with AlphaTauri.
“That would be cool,” Tsunoda says. “I think he feels really comfortable with the car now, with the team. And that’s a good thing. We can see his full potential. He was really happy with how the car was behaving, with the set-ups. “
“For me, Daniel is a Red Bull driver, like when he was fighting with Sebastian Vettel and Max (Verstappen). And it makes sense for him to stay. I think his style fits very well with the Red Bull brand.” Nothing is fixed yet, however, just like Tsunoda himself. His contract ends with this season.
Tsunoda: The future is less worrying for him
But the Japanese insists: “I am less worried than last year. Because I think my position as a driver in the team has changed a lot compared to then. And so far I have heard from Red Bull that they are satisfied. Nevertheless, I know what I can improve. I know I can take one more big step to become a better driver.”
“So I don’t worry about that and I don’t stress about it. I’m more focused on what I should improve and I know what they expect from me. So it’s good for me that they always give me a clear target of what I need to improve. It means I can focus on those things. “
Being better than his team-mate plays a subordinate role for him, says Tsunoda: “Formula 1 is a team sport. So I don’t want to focus on beating my teammate or anything like that.”
“I think, especially now that we are at the bottom as AlphaTauri, we want to get as many points as possible as a team. But yeah, it’s obvious that at the same time the numbers show which driver is not better. Sometimes it also depends a bit on luck, to be honest.”
“But I’m sure he wants to get a lot of points. Especially in the last two races I saw how he had confidence in the car and adapted well straight away. But I’m looking forward to us being able to compete and push each other at the same time. I still have the confidence that I can do well. “
