Former F1 driver believes Yuki Tsunoda 'gets overlooked' by Red Bull
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Former F1 driver and Sky Sports pundit Anthony Davidson doesn't understand why Yuki Tsunoda is not seen as a serious candidate to be Max Verstappen's teammate at Red Bull Racing. The 45-year-old believes that Tsunoda should be considered to partner with Verstappen at Red Bull in the future, explaining why on the SKy Sports F1 podcast.
Davidson began by speaking about Daniel Ricciardo 's dismissal. “They’re looking for that magic,” commented the former SuperAguri F1 driver. “Maybe, Daniel once upon a time would have been able to deliver that. Perhaps, he would have been ahead of Yuki, firmly ahead but I think Yuki has upped his game since his arrival in Formula 1."
The Brit continued: “It’s quite normal you see drivers arrive, they overdrive the car, crash and they spin. You’re waiting for it to all calm down a bit and then they do, but then they’re slow because they’ve lost their rhythm," he explained.
Is Tsunoda ready for a duel with Verstappen?
Tsunoda currently sits in 12th in the world championship with 22 points. Daniel Ricciardo scored 12 points in the same amount of races as his younger Japanese rival. In recent seasons, Tsunoda finished above his teammates in the rankings. "“These drivers come in - Lawson or Ricciardo comes back as an older experienced driver. Nyck de Vries has a go against him as well - and he keeps beating them, every single time. It can’t just be a coincidence.”
The ultimate challenge would be a one-on-one with Max Verstappen at big-brother Red Bull. “Why aren’t we hearing about Yuki’s chance to replace Perez? Would he do a better job? He’s a feisty driver. I can’t imagine he’d be mentally destroyed by Max. He’s a resilient character. I think that’s what Ricciardo was up against and without anyone really highlighting this.”
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This article was written in collaboration with Corwin Kunst
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