Yuki Tsunoda at the Shanghai International Circuit
Tsunoda on key ally: 'When I'm emotionally down, I call him'
14:30, 01 Apr
Updated: 15:49, 01 Apr
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The way Yuki Tsunoda frequently expressed himself over the team radio is said to have been a contributing factor to Red Bull Racing initially promoting Liam Lawson as Max Verstappen's teammate.
But since being promoted to Red Bull in place of Lawson after only two races, Helmut Marko suggested the Japanese driver has become more mature.
Tsunoda tells Dutch outlet Formule1 that the swearing and shouting was quite ingrained: "That is something from the past. In karting, I often swore in my helmet. My idea was just to let it out. Nowadays, there is a lot of politics and fuss around my team radios in Formula 1. But I had to learn to better control myself, find other ways to express myself, perform well, and be consistent."
Tsunoda has his own sounding board
This has gone well, resulting in the promotion to Red Bull, with Tsunoda noticing the benefits of not swearing and shouting. That he has become calmer may also be due to the help he has received -Tsunoda went to a psychologist, and now he has someone who talks to him regularly about various matters.
"Sometimes, when I feel alone or emotionally down, I call him. Just to talk, to recover. That's it. It helps me when needed. So much happens within a racing team, it is quite unstable. But I know what to do. Outside of that, there are sometimes things I struggle with, just like any other person. An argument with friends, relationship problems..."
It also helps that Tsunoda has found "my home" in Italy, having moved to be closer to the Racing Bulls Faenza base while Franz Tost was still at the helm.
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