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Yuki Tsunoda (角田 裕毅 in Japanese; born 11 May 2000) is a Japanese racing driver, who made his FIA Formula One World Championship debut in 2021 for AlphaTauri.[1] A member of the Honda Formula Dream Project as well as the Red Bull Junior Team, Tsunoda graduated to F1 after claiming the Anthoine Hubert Award in the 2020 Formula 2 Championship.[2]


Background[]

Tsunoda began his career in karting in his native Japan, joining the JAF Junior Karting Championship in 2010.[3] Progressing through the various classes each year, Tsunoda graduated to single-seaters in 2016, obtaining a late-season entry in the F4 Japanese Championship.[3] After obtaining a debut podium, Tsunoda was handed a full season seat in F4 Japan for 2017.[3]

Honda Heroics: 2017-2019[]

Joining the Honda Formula Dream Project in 2017, Tsunoda had an impressive maiden campaign in F4 Japan, securing third in the Championship while also winning the East category.[3]Honda duly kept him in Japanese F4 for 2018, and were rewarded as their young protege scored seven wins and the Championship title.[3] That prompted Honda's new Formula One partners Red Bull to sign Tsunoda at the end of the season, with the Japanese youth moving to Europe as a member of the Red Bull Junior Team.[3]

For 2019 Tsunoda would complete a dual program in the FIA Formula 3 Championship and the Euroformula Open Championship alongside other RBJT members.[3] The Japanese racer duly finished fourth in the latter series with a single win, while also securing ninth in F3, while also driving to eleventh in the famed Macau Grand Prix at the end of the season.[3] 2020 would see Tsunoda get a run in the Toyota Racing Series, claiming a single win en route to fourth in the Series.[3]

Carlin Call: 2020[]

Tsunoda moved into the FIA Formula 2 Championship with Carlin, with the Japanese racer signing a deal with the British squad for the 2020 season.[2] It proved to be an impressive debut season for Tsunoda, with the Japanese racer claiming three victories in a late charge to third in the Championship, a result which also earned him the Anthoine Hubert Award for best rookie.[2]

Formula One Career[]

During the 2020 F2 season rumours regarding Tsunoda taking a race seat with AlphaTauri for the 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship circulated, despite the fact that the Japanese racer had yet to obtain an FIA Super Licence. After securing the necessary points via his third-place finish in the 2020 F2 Championship, Tsunoda was duly unveiled as the second driver for AlphaTauri-Honda for the 2021 season, partnering Pierre Gasly.[1] His promotion was widely thought to have been at the behest of AlphaTauri's engine supplier's Honda, despite the fact that they had announced that they were leaving F1 at the end of 2021.[1]

Formula One Statistical Overview[]

Formula One Record[]

Year Entrant Team Pts WDC Pos. Report
Youth Career
2017 - 2018 Honda Formula Dream Project
2019 - 2020 Red Bull Junior Team
Senior Career
2020 Italy Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda AlphaTauri-Honda Test Driver
2021 Italy Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda AlphaTauri-Honda 32 14th Report
2022 Italy Scuderia AlphaTauri AlphaTauri-RBPT 12 17th Report
2023 Italy Scuderia AlphaTauri AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT 17 14th Report
2024 Italy Visa CashApp RB F1 Team RB-Honda RBPT Report

Career Statistics[]

Statistics correct as of 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Entries 68
Starts 65
Pole Positions 0
Sprint Poles 0
Front Row Starts 0
Race Wins 0
Sprint Wins 0
Podiums 0
Sprint Podiums 0
Fastest Laps 0
Sprint Fastest Laps 0
Points 61
Laps Raced 3206
Distance Raced 16,023 km (9,956 mi)
Races Led 1
Laps Led 5
Distance Led 26 km (16 mi)

Career Results[]

Complete Formula One Results
Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Pts Pos
2021 Flag of Bahrain Flag of Italy Flag of Portugal Flag of Spain Flag of Monaco Flag of Azerbaijan Flag of France Flag of Styria Flag of Austria Flag of the United Kingdom Flag of Hungary Flag of Belgium Flag of the Netherlands Flag of Italy Flag of Russia Flag of Turkey Flag of the United States Flag of Mexico Flag of Brazil Flag of Qatar Flag of Saudi Arabia Flag of the United Arab Emirates 32 14th
9th 12th 15th Ret 16th 7th 13th 10th 12th 10th 6th 15th
[4]
Ret DNS 17th 14th 9th Ret 15th 13th 14th 4th
2022 Flag of Bahrain Flag of Saudi Arabia Flag of Australia Flag of Italy Flag of the United States Flag of Spain Flag of Monaco Flag of Azerbaijan Flag of Canada Flag of the United Kingdom Flag of Austria Flag of France Flag of Hungary Flag of Belgium Flag of the Netherlands Flag of Italy Flag of Singapore Flag of Japan Flag of the United States Flag of Mexico Flag of Brazil Flag of the United Arab Emirates 12 17th
8th DNS 15th 7th 12th 10th 17th 13th Ret 14th 16th Ret 19th 13th Ret 14th Ret 13th 10th Ret 17th 11th
2023 Flag of Bahrain Flag of Saudi Arabia Flag of Australia Flag of Azerbaijan Flag of the United States Flag of Italy Flag of Monaco Flag of Spain Flag of Canada Flag of Austria Flag of the United Kingdom Flag of Hungary Flag of Belgium Flag of the Netherlands Flag of Italy Flag of Singapore Flag of Japan Flag of Qatar Flag of the United States Flag of Mexico Flag of Brazil Flag of the United States Flag of the United Arab Emirates 17 14th
11th 11th 10th 10th 11th C 15th 12th 14th 19th 16th 15th 10th 15th DNS Ret 12th 15th 8th 12th 9th 18th 8th
Key
Symbol Meaning Symbol Meaning
1st Winner Ret Retired
2nd Podium finish DSQ Disqualified
3rd DNQ Did not qualify
5th Points finish DNPQ Did not pre-qualify
14th Non-points finish TD Test driver
Italics Scored point(s) for Fastest Lap DNS Did not start
18th Classified finish (retired with >90% race distance) NC Non-classified finish (<90% race distance)
4thP Qualified for pole position [+] More Symbols

References[]

Images and Videos:

References:

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 James Galloway, 'Yuki Tsunoda confirmed by AlphaTauri to replace Daniil Kvyat for F1 2021', skysports.com, (Sky UK, 16/12/2020), https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12471/12163866/yuki-tsunoda-confirmed-by-alphatauri-to-replce-daniil-kvyat-for-f1-2021, (Accessed 16/12/2020)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 'TSUNODA EARNS F2 PROMOTION WITH CARLIN', fiaformula2.com, (FIA Formula Two, 10/01/2020), http://www.fiaformula2.com/News-Room/News/2020/01_January/Tsunoda-earns-F2-promotion-with-Carlin/, (Accessed 04/03/2020)
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 'Yuki Tsunoda', driverdb.com, (Driver Database, 2020), https://www.driverdb.com/drivers/yuki-tsunoda/, (Accessed 12/03/2020)
  4. Race stopped after 2/44 Laps. Half points awarded
V T E Scuderia Alpha Tauri Logo 2020 AlphaTauri
Drivers
3. Australia Daniel Ricciardo · 22. Japan Yuki Tsunoda
Personnel
Dietrich Mateschitz · Jody Egginton · Helmut Marko · Franz Tost · Graham Watson
Cars
AT01 · AT02 · AT03 · AT04
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