Yuki Tsunoda has explained the key difference between himself and RB teammate Daniel Ricciardo.
Tsunoda is bidding to score points on home soil at this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, having failed to do so on either of his first two visits.
And speaking to Sky Sports F1’s Ted Kravitz on the F1 Show, Tsunoda offered some insight into the dynamic between himself and Ricciardo.
The 23-year-old has established an early advantage over the former Red Bull driver at the beginning of their first full season together as teammates.
Last time out in Australia, he scored the team’s first six points of the campaign as Ricciardo finished 12th.
He also leads their qualifying head-to-head three-nil, piling pressure on his vastly more experienced partner.
The margin between the two so far is bigger than the deficit between Tsunoda and Nyck de Vries, axed midway through last year.
There have even been rumours that Ricciardo could lose his seat to reserve driver Liam Lawson in the early part of the season.
Red Bull director Helmut Marko has rejected those, but he’s struggled far more than most, including rival Nico Hulkenberg, had expected.
Yuki Tsunoda says Daniel Ricciardo is far calmer behind the wheel
While Tsunoda has been the faster driver so far, he says he’s learned a lot from his vastly more experienced teammate.
Ricciardo has won eight Grands Prix and stood on the podium 32 times during his career.
Tsunoda admits his emotions occasionally run too high during races, while Ricciardo has been much more level-headed in his communication.
He said: “I think Daniel has impacted me quite a lot, in terms of how he’s communicating to the team and how he’s handling the pressure.
“He’s very consistent, his mood is very consistent, especially behind the wheel when he presses the radio. He’s very different.
“I’m probably like Monsters Inc, the blue monster, just shouting all the time.
“After him especially, I recognised that I have to change.”
What is Yuki Tsunoda’s highest finish?
Tsunoda, who’s now competed in 66 races, is still waiting for his first-ever F1 podium, having come closest in Abu Dhabi in his debut season when he finished fourth.
He’s one of four drivers in the current field who have yet to finish a race in the top three alongside Logan Sargeant, Zhou Guanyu and record holder Nico Hulkenberg.
While he may need some chaos ahead of him to change that, his seventh place at Albert Park was his best result since he came home in the same spot at Imola in 2022.
At the start of the season, the expectation was that Ricciardo would be a ‘dead-cert’ to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull if he delivered.
But Tsunoda has vastly outshone him up to this point, with Marko calling him ‘faultless’ and Damon Hill adding that he’s ‘come on leaps and bounds’.
Despite that, he isn’t thought to be in contention for the Red Bull drive himself.
Christian Horner is apparently ‘convinced’ that he couldn’t cope with racing alongside world champion Max Verstappen.
And journalist Edd Straw says Red Bull will view his temperament in the cockpit as a ‘fundamental flaw’.
The post 'I'm probably like Monsters Inc': Yuki Tsunoda explains difference between himself and Daniel Ricciardo appeared first on F1 Oversteer.