Yuki Tsunoda aims for points at home, in Suzuka

He remains frustrated by two races where he did not see the end of the first lap. At Monza, Yuki Tsunoda had to retire due to a mechanical problem during the formation lap. Two weeks later, in Singapore, he also had to throw in the towel due to contact caused by Sergio Perez.

The Japanese has put these two events aside and is focusing on the weekend in Suzuka, in his country of birth. « To be honest, I have been looking forward to it since the end of last year’s race! It’s really very special, and the way I felt there was completely different from all the other Grand Prix, with so much support from the fans. It was incredible and I can’t wait to go back. As an event, it will be the best of the year for me », he says.

Improvements that work

The AlphaTauri driver has been racing in Suzuka since 2016, across various categories, but this will only be his second participation here in Formula 1. Even though he knows the track perfectly, he plans to rely on the experience of his teammate Liam Lawson, who has raced on this circuit this season.

« It’s a good thing for the whole team that Liam has experience in Suzuka, maybe even more than me in the higher categories. This weekend, Liam will have participated in three races here, so he will have more knowledge and we expect a good performance from the team. The improvements we introduced in Singapore seem to be working, so we can maybe aim for the top 10 or top 8. We need to score more points, and the whole team is working towards that goal, each pushing the other forward to try to achieve it. »