There were plenty of key storylines to concentrate on during the 2023 Formula 1 season, meaning not every driver got the credit they deserved.
Max Verstappen’s domination of the sport stole the headlines, even if we didn’t see a huge amount of him on track given how far ahead of his rivals he typically was.
A report from ESPN has shared that one current driver was left very ‘frustrated’ by how little credit he received for his performance last year.
The most important battle for any driver in Formula 1 is to beat your teammate.
They’re the only person with identical machinery on the grid and it’s a good indication of where you are in terms of raw pace.
The likes of Alex Albon and Lewis Hamilton were well ahead of their teammates both on track and in the Drivers’ Championship.
However, Yuki Tsunoda didn’t receive the media coverage he would have expected after seeing off three different teammates throughout the season.
The likes of Nyck de Vries, Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson all drove alongside the 23-year-old.
However, their fates and performances were studied in much greater detail than anything the Japanese driver did.
Yuki Tsunoda left frustrated by media coverage during 2023 F1 season
At the start of last season, there was plenty of intrigue to see how Nyck de Vries would cope during his rookie F1 campaign.
He was 28 when he finally broke onto the grid and already had a Formula E title to his name before his impressive cameo for Williams in Monza the previous year.
Unfortunately, the car was pretty poor at the start of the season and 10 races later, Daniel Ricciardo was drafted in from the sidelines.
The Australian is incredibly popular and it’s no surprise that he was attracting more media coverage than Tsunoda despite his middling performances.
When he broke his hand, the interest in how Liam Lawson was doing also drew attention.
Not only that, but at times he was quicker than Tsunoda and there was a little bit of surprise that it was the Japanese driver handed a contract for 2024 instead of the young Kiwi.
Yuki Tsunoda carrying his 2023 form into 2024
The report from ESPN states that ‘sources close to Tsunoda’ believe he was ‘frustrated’ by the coverage of him in the media last season.
He outperformed De Vries and Ricciardo, although it’s understandable why Liam Lawson may have had more stories written about him during his five-race stint.
What is clear is that Tsunoda has gone up another level over the winter and now looks like Visa Cash App RB’s best chance of scoring points every weekend.
Daniel Ricciardo is struggling and Tsunoda’s six-point haul in Melbourne was a fair reward for his performances over the first three races.
Notoriously harsh critic Helmut Marko even described the 23-year-old as ‘faultless’ after the Grand Prix which is high praise indeed.
What does Yuki Tsunoda’s F1 future look like?
As with so many drivers on the grid this season, Tsunoda is entering the final year of his current contract.
In the sister Red Bull team, Sergio Perez is also coming to the end of his deal, although it’s understood that the Japanese driver isn’t in contention to replace him.
Tsunoda is now in his fourth season with RB and most drivers at this point tend to move on with Red Bull normally keen to promote another youngster onto the grid.
Isack Hadjar’s Formula 2 win in Melbourne may have caught their attention, but they must find a way to get Liam Lawson into a race seat.
Ricciardo at this stage looks the more likely driver to move on, although Tsunoda’s connections with Honda mean a switch to Aston Martin when they become their new engine supplier wouldn’t be a huge surprise.
All Tsunoda has to do is continue to put in impressive performances and the coverage from the media will only increase as a result.
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