Yuki Tsunoda has commented on the rumors about his future, not hiding his desire to be Verstappen’s teammate: “I would learn a lot, but I wouldn’t make life easy for him”
2024 has started very well for Yuki Tsunoda, with many highs and few lows. The Japanese driver has so far scored 22 points in the drivers’ standings, placing him 12th in the standings. Ahead of him among the “midfield” drivers (those in the middle of the grid) is only Nico Hulkenberg, who is tied on points but is “favored” by the extraordinary 16 points he earned between Austria and Silverstone.
Of course, given Yuki’s consistency and Sergio Perez’s horror performances, the rumors about Tsunoda’s future are numerous. The 2000-born driver is seen as the favorite to step up to Red Bull in 2025, a seat that, at the age of 24, would mean a breakthrough for him and his career.
Yuki Tsunoda’s Words on Verstappen
The Japanese driver spoke to RacingNews365, not denying his interest in that seat alongside the 3-time world champion: “I’m confident I can fight hard against Verstappen, and there are many things I could learn from him, especially regarding consistency in any conditions. For example, when we’re in situations with a half-wet track, dry-wet, or wet conditions…”
“When the weather constantly changes and is variable, he somehow always adapts really, really well. That’s why Max was very consistent last year, managing to win 19 races. Last year, there were many weather variations during the races, and in those moments, it’s not so much the car’s performance that makes the difference”.
“If you’re a really bad driver and driving a good car, you’ll still be a bad driver and will easily lose positions. That’s why Max is able to win consistently: I’m sure I would learn a lot from him”.
“But I also think I can fight hard with him… even though I wouldn’t make life easy for him, that’s for sure. Of course, though, he’s very fast and very consistent, which is why, drivers’ championship-wise, I wouldn’t say I have massive confidence that I can straight away beat him in the championship from the first year”, he concluded.
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