“He’s a top driver and we know he's fast”: Yuki Tsunoda talks about facing the pressure after Daniel Ricciardo’ arrival at AlphaTauri F1

AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda has lauded his new teammate Daniel Ricciardo, calling the Australian a "top driver."

The Japanese driver has had a solid start to the 2023 season as he has scored all three points for the team this year and has shown glimpses of outstanding performances.

There were some claims that Ricciardo's arrival into the team may put a lot of pressure on Yuki Tsunoda. However, Tsunoda's P10 finish at Spa has firmly proven that he is up for the fight.

Speaking with Motorsport.com, Yuki Tsunoda said of Daniel Ricciardo:

"It's challenging. But at the same time, I know that this current situation is completely new for me. I'm learning a lot, especially getting challenged by an experienced driver. And not only is he an experienced driver, he’s a top driver and we know that he's fast. I already know he is fast but also how he's behaving in the team is like probably the opposite as me."

He added:

"So, lots of things to learn, a lot from him. It's also a bit of pressure for myself and probably that made me rush and a couple of mistakes in the last couple of races. But I was able to put it all together in the last race [Spa, 10th place]. It was not easy."

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Yuki Tsunoda delighted with a point in Spa-Francorchamps

Yuki Tsunoda has stated that he was really happy with the point-scoring finish in Belgium and credited the team for doing a fantastic job on Sunday.

As per F1.com, Tsunoda said:

“The team did a fantastic job today; the car was flying and I’m happy to finish in the points before the summer break. A huge well done to the entire team: the mechanics, people in Bicester and Faenza, and trackside engineers. It’s been a long time since I scored points, and I’ve been struggling in the last few races, so I’m very happy now."

"We were slightly lucky with a couple of cars retiring in front of us, but I felt really comfortable during the race. The car went naturally forward, and I was just managing my tyres. At one point there was some rain, but fortunately, it stopped quite quickly, and I could keep up the pace and drive consistently."

It will be fascinating to see how Yuki Tsunoda performs in the crucial second half of the season.