Yuki Tsunoda pulls back the curtain on Max Verstappen's quality that helped him improve

Yuki Tsunoda pinpointed Max Verstappen's consistency as an area he learned from and also commented on how different the Dutch driver is, compared to his media portrayal. The Japanese driver has been part of the Red Bull driver academy since the start of the decade and made his F1 debut in 2021.

Since his debut, Yuki Tsunoda has seen Max Verstappen remain undefeated in title battles. The Japanese driver joined the sport a bit rough around the edges early on, but as his career progressed, Tsunoda has improved bit by bit as the seasons have gone on.

Despite being touted to partner up with Verstappen in the 2025 season, Yuki Tsunoda was overlooked for a seat at Red Bull. Speaking via RacingNews365 this week, the Japanese was asked about any particular quality of the four-time champion that helped him improve on track.

"I would say his consistency. The level of focus he had throughout the year was definitely impressive. Driving in Formula 1 since he was 17 years old definitely helps as well. A lot of things are different between me and Max. I started in Japan, and when he started in Formula 1 at 17, I'd just moved from Japan to Europe. So a lot of things are different."

Highlighting how Verstappen's consistency is what makes him versatile and perform well despite the track and weather conditions, Tsunoda added:

"But definitely, as a driver, what I can say is that the consistency in any condition, any race, and the focus level he has is impressive, and I've learned a lot of things from that. When we're together at some social activities, Red Bull stuff, we speak. He's quite a different guy from what you see on TV, or from how he's behaved. He's such a nice guy, very generous, fun to chat with as well."

In 2024, Yuki Tsunoda was in contention for a seat alongside Max Verstappen but would ultimately lose out to Liam Lawson.

---

Yuki Tsunoda looking at the positives despite being snubbed for a place alongside Max Verstappen

Despite being snubbed from being Max Verstappen's teammate at Red Bull, Yuki Tsunoda was still looking at the positives from the season, where he ended up beating Daniel Ricciardo and showing marked improvement in communication on the team radio. Expanding on how he felt he proved a lot of people wrong, Tsunoda said:

"I proved a lot of things in my favour, what people think about me, I proved they're wrong. When the season started people maybe thought Daniel would beat me, but I proved them wrong. I trusted myself since last season that I could do a better job than other drivers. The most important thing is that I improved myself, especially in terms of radio communication."

It's still never say never for Yuki Tsunoda, as the slot for Max Verstappen's teammate at Red Bull could still open up in 2025 if Liam Lawson doesn't perform as per expectations. That being said, the Japanese will look to put up some eye-catching performances to open up his options on the grid.