Yuki Tsunoda reveals analyzing Fernando Alonso to improve his defensive driving

AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda has disclosed that he has studied Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso to improve his defensive skills.

Tsunoda scored 12 points in his debut Formula 1 season in 2022. Despite driving consistently this year, he failed to pick up any points in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, finishing P11 in both races.

The Japanese driver was on course for another P11 finish in Australia when a slew of crashes at the end of the chaotic Melbourne Grand Prix saw him register a P10 finish and win his first point of the season.

Tsunoda has impressed F1 fans and pundits with his race craft, especially his defensive driving. Speaking on a recent episode of the F1 Nation podcast, he disclosed that he analyzed Alonso's defense of Lewis Hamilton at the 2021 Hungarian GP to improve his defensive skills.

The 22-year-old said (via formu1a):

“I’ve been looking at videos… I was just watching the way Alonso was doing that [defending against Hamilton in Hungary], and I learned a huge amount.”

Alonso, then driving for Alpine, battled with Hamilton for fourth place in the closing stages of the Hungarian GP. The Spaniard prevented the Mercedes driver from taking the fourth position for 11 laps, which helped his then-teammate Esteban Ocon win his maiden F1 race.

Hamilton later praised Alonso, saying (via The Race):

“Fernando gave me hell out there. It was awesome racing, pretty on edge at least once but great racing. It literally was wheel-to-wheel at least once and I don’t really have much more to say about it. When you’re racing against a two-time world champion, he probably is one of the hardest drivers – but fair.”

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Fernando Alonso expresses doubt over Sebastian Vettel's ability to get the best out of 2023 Aston Martin car

Fernando Alonso has said that his Aston Martin predecessor Sebastian Vettel might not have capitalized on the team's potential in 2023.

Alonso left Alpine at the end of last year and joined Aston Martin as Vettel's replacement after the German retired from the sport. The Spaniard's move seems to have come at the right time, as the Silverstone-based team have emerged as the second-fastest team on the grid this season.

Asked if Vettel had retired before he could reap the benefits of Aston Martin’s rise, Fernando Alonso opined (via PlanetF1):

“I don’t know if he could have made the Aston Martin that fast, so you never know.”