Tsunoda Used To Being Underrated: 'I Love To Prove Some People Wrong'

Sunday, 14 April 2024 at 08:06

RB driver Yuki Tsunoda discussed after the fourth round of the 2024 season how he likes to prove wrong people who underrate him.

Former F1 driver Karun Chandhok recently apologized to Yuki Tsunoda for doubting him and suggesting he wasn't the most suitable driver for Racing Bulls.

Before the start of the 2024 season, Chandhok believed RB should have gone with Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson instead.

However, by beating Ricciardo in every qualifying session so far and three out of four races, the Japanese driver made a good case for himself.

It is clear that RB doesn't have a car that should always finish inside the top ten, yet the 23-year-old was able to make it into Q3 in three out of four qualifying sessions and then run two of these into top-ten race finishes.

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Speaking to Channel 4 after the most recent Japanese Grand Prix, where he qualified in P10 and was able to cross the finish line in the same position, securing one valuable point for his team, Tsunoda said:

"You know, I love to prove some people wrong, It's always the story. It's the same as Nyck, people were saying Nyck can be a first driver."

"I got used to it, you know, like it's nothing different and I'm very happy that I'm able to prove people wrong."

Nyck de Vries was a rookie placed alongside the Japanese driver for the 2023 season. However, due to insufficient performance, he was replaced after ten races.

De Vries was replaced by experienced Ricciardo, who was reportedly the leading candidate even for the second seat in Red Bull if he outperformed Tsunoda, but that hasn't really happened in the first four rounds of the 2024 season. Tsunoda added:

"I just keep what I'm doing and in the end, that's what I have to do to be a good performer and driver in Formula 1 for all and that's what's the top drivers have. I mean, I just keep the people surprised."