For young drivers in Formula 1, it’s imperative that not only are you quick from the very first race, but that you show enough potential to ward off the dozens of racers not on the grid who want your seat.
Williams driver Logan Sargeant is possibly feeling this pressure more than anyone else with the threat of Andrea Kimi Antonelli looming.
However, there are also plenty of success stories up and down the grid.
Lando Norris is still a young driver despite being in his sixth season in F1 and finally secured his maiden victory in Miami.
His teammate Oscar Piastri also deserves a lot of credit for his work during his sophomore year and it’s a credit to how fast Norris has been that some people are slightly underwhelmed by the Australian’s recent performances.
However, speaking to Autosport, Visa Cash App RB team principal Laurent Mekies wanted to hail Yuki Tsunoda and the lack of mistakes the Japanese driver is making.
He’s now in the minority of the grid that hasn’t won a Formula 1 race yet.
While that’s unlikely to change in 2024, Tsunoda has been phenomenal this season and deserves full credit for taking his performances up another level.
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Laurent Mekies praises RB driver Yuki Tsunoda for lack of mistakes on race weekends
Heading into the 2024 Formula 1 season, it wasn’t a surprise that there were question marks over Yuki Tsunoda.
He had a strong end to the previous campaign but was entering his fourth season with Red Bull’s sister team.
Drivers typically don’t last that long – particularly under the watchful eye of Helmut Marko – and are either promoted or moved on in that time.
Tsunoda was potentially looking over his shoulder with Liam Lawson lurking in the garage after his impressive cameo in Daniel Ricciardo’s car.
Any pressure that was on Tsunoda at RB has quickly dissipated with the 24-year-old now capable of going through race weekends without making mistakes.
He’s sitting in the top ten of the Drivers’ Championship right now ahead of the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll.
Giedo van der Garde has hailed the huge step Tsunoda has taken and Mekies has very much echoed his thoughts.
Yuki Tsunoda one of the stars of the 2024 F1 season
Talking about his more junior driver, Mekies said: “Yuki has made a huge step this year. In fairness, he made a step between year one and year two, year two and year three. And I think the step he is making now between year three and year four is massive.
“You see a driver now that is able to not only have the raw speed, which we knew, and he elevated it even more now. But he can execute weekends with absolutely zero mistakes from FP1 to the race.
“It was the case in Australia, it was the case in Japan. And it was not far from that in Miami, to be honest.
“He has made a massive step forward and I think there is more to come, so we are working very hard to make sure we develop an environment where he is able to make these steps. We are very impressed with his work.
“He is getting better [dealing] with the low points.
“China was a good example, he approached it in a rational way and we analysed together and he hit the ground running in Miami.
“So yes, it’s a big step forward. It’s played a massive role in our current success and we think there is more to come.
“You can also hear it on the radio. He is improving inside and outside the car.”
Aston Martin could offer Yuki Tsunoda a way out of the Red Bull family
Yuki Tsunoda will need a few more weekends without any mistakes at RB to guarantee a spot on the grid next year.
He and Daniel Ricciardo are both in the final year of their contracts with Liam Lawson the ‘number one’ candidate to replace one of them.
Tsunoda has a connection with Honda and they will become Aston Martin’s power unit supplier in 2026.
The Japanese driver has already said that there’s a chance he could end up driving for Aston Martin in 2026 although some fans of the team might wish he was coming in a year sooner to replace the struggling Stroll.
Karun Chandhok has even apologised for saying Tsunoda deserved to lose his seat in Formula 1 which shows just how much he’s improved this year.
The post ‘He is improving’: Winless F1 driver told he’s making ‘absolutely zero mistakes’ during race weekends now appeared first on F1 Oversteer.