Yuki Tsunoda once revealed former F1 champion was one of the reasons behind choosing his number in F1

AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda revealed in 2021 that he chose his '22' racing number because of his admiration for former world champion Jenson Button. The Japanese driver wanted to choose the number '11' but couldn't as it already belonged to Sergio Perez.

Tsunoda doubled the number '11' - the number he had when he was karting - in admiration of Jenson Button, who won the 2009 F1 championship. The young driver has also claimed that he chose the number '22' to honor Japanese driver Takuma Sato.

Drivers have been allowed to choose their racing numbers since the start of the 2014 F1 season, with the reigning world champion being given the privilege to choose the number '1'. Max Verstappen decided to go with the number '1' in 2022 after he won the drivers' title in 2021. Verstappen was able to defend his title with the number 1 car and will use it once again this year.

Yuki Tsunoda had a dull 2022 season, finishing 17th in the drivers' standings at the end of the year. However, the young Japanese driver lost a whole load of points due to AlphaTauri's poor reliability and dismal pace last year. Following the departure of Pierre Gasly, Tsunoda will now star alongside 2023 rookie Nyck de Vries.

Yuki Tsunoda once claimed he is better known in Italy as compared to Japan

AlphaTauri F1's Yuki Tsunoda revealed last year that he is better known in Italy than back home in Japan. The young driver reflected on the different eras of F1 in Japan, and why things are not the same anymore.

When asked about being a "star" in Japan, Tsunoda said:

“To be honest, I think I’m better known in Italy than in Japan. Formula 1 is a big thing in Japan, that’s true. But not nearly as big as it used to be when Ayrton Senna drove. There was no Japanese Formula 1 driver for a long time, and even no Japanese manufacturer for a long time.”

He further explained how interactions with crowds in his home country have been limited till now, saying:

“I’m not often in Japan, so it’s hard for me to assess how popular Formula 1 is there at the moment. I’m in Japan for three weeks a year and last time I spent two of them in quarantine. I wasn’t there much outside.”

The driver, however, was immensely popular at the 2022 Japanese GP, with fans waving flags in his support. With the 2023 F1 season right around the corner, it will be interesting to see how Yuki Tsunoda fares this year.