Yuki Tsunoda has hailed Daniel Ricciardo as “a really good reference driver” who has shown him a different driving style that has given him options for the future.
The Japanese driver was partnered by Ricciardo for seven grands prix this past season after the Australian replaced the axed Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri.
An initial two-race stint before the summer break was curtailed in the first event after in the Netherlands due to Ricciardo breaking a bone in his left hand which ruled him out for five grands prix.
The 34-year-old returned for the final five races in which Tsunoda out-qualified and finished ahead of Ricciardo on three occasions.
Whilst conceding that Ricciardo will be his “biggest rival” for 2024, Tsunoda does feel he is learning, and will continue to do so moving forward, from Ricciardo.
“He’s giving good feedback,” said Tsunoda. “From his past experiences. his team is happy with his feedback, and I’m learning from him quite a lot of things, especially how he behaves towards the team. It’s quite different.”
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Referring to his hot-headed nature on occasion compared to Ricciardo’s composure, he added: “He is quite the opposite of me, which I want to fix, so at least for that, he’s a really good reference driver, and he’s given positivity to the team.”
Tsunoda has confirmed that “sometimes” he does speak with Ricciardo on a variety of racing topics, with driving style amongst them.
The 23-year-old has become renowned during his three years with AlphaTauri for being aggressive, and for his late braking, which has occasionally not reaped rewards, as was the case with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in the Mexico City Grand, for example.
In stark contrast, Ricciardo is smoother, who carries speed through a corner where he likes to rotate a car mid-turn whilst maintaining stability at the rear.
“We don’t create time to sit down together and talk about things but when we have time, like going to the drivers’ parade, for example, when he’s sitting in the same car, we talk as normal,” said Tsunoda.
“Our driving style is quite different, and what we require from the car is different, which is a good thing.
“I have good options, it’s good to see a different driving style to give me other options to go even faster.”
Tsunoda concedes Ricciardo’s advice was not required at the end of last season as he felt comfortable with the car, although it is something he will heed going into next year should it be required.
“I’ve not tried because I know how to drive this year’s car fast, and how to make the car fast,” said Tsunoda. “It worked for me, I’ve not had to change.
“For next year’s car, I don’t know how it’s going to be. It depends on how it behaves, so for me, it’s about the car’s behavior to maximise the performance, rather than just sticking to my driving style.
“If the car requires a different driving style compared to this year, I will try to adapt, and see how it goes.”
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