Yuki Tsunoda says he has enjoyed being the effective team leader at AlphaTauri as he has had three different team mates so far this year.

The 23-year-old is in his third year with the Faenza-based squad and will break a record when he continues at Red Bull’s secondary Formula 1 team for a fourth successive season in 2024.

In his first two campaigns he was team mate to grand prix winner Pierre Gasly. Following Gasly’s departure to Alpine, rookie Nyck de Vries took his place, but he lasted just 10 races before being dropped.

Daniel Ricciardo arrived in place of De Vries, but he was sidelined by injury in his third weekend with the team. Liam Lawson has substituted for him since then.

Having been partnered with two rookies and another Driver who was not familiar with the AT04, Tsunoda has had to forge his own path when it comes to getting the best out of his car.

“I like that challenge this year so far because so far I’m not really looking at data from my team mates,” Tsunoda said.

“Sometimes, obviously, I’m looking for it. But I’m mainly trying to discover what I can do without any data, just a comparison with other teams and how the other drivers are driving. I think in the end that’s the kind of things I need as a driver in the future anyway, so for me it’s good training.

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“Until last year I got a bit of support from other drivers, I had a good reference from data and I could compare where I was losing. But now I have to think for myself where I’m losing, what I can improve. And I kind of already try to think myself, try to feel more where I’m lacking, where I’m losing, even when I’m driving.”

Tsunoda, who could have the chance to join AlphaTauri’s senior team Red Bull after the 2024 F1 season, says he has gained useful knowledge through having to work out for himself how to improve his car’s performance.

“It’s good learning for me,” said Tsunoda. “I feel even more responsible now which, I think, to be a better driver is for me a good opportunity.

“So far I’m pretty happy with what I’m doing and able to show the performance every time consistently. So I just have to keep doing like this and also support other drivers as much as possible.”

AlphaTauri lies last in the championship standings with six rounds remaining. Tsunoda has scored three of the team’s five points, the others having been picked up by Lawson.

It is the team’s least competitive season in its history, and Tsunoda admitted AlphaTauri would “be probably a more complete team” had the experienced Gasly not moved on. However Tsunoda said he was already trying to become less reliant on his team mate’s data and finding his own improvements before this year.

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“New drivers have to discover what they’re doing, how they’re doing, how they’re operating,” said Tsunoda. “I think I learned a lot from Pierre.

“Last year in the second half of the season I was already starting to be the driver the way I’m doing now. Trying to discover more for myself what I can do, not just from Pierre. I want to gain or make the difference compared to Pierre, on top of it with myself.

“From the second half [of 2022] I was already being by myself and just mainly focusing on chatting with the engineers rather than having reference and comparing with Pierre.”

2023 Japanese Grand Prix

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