Tsunoda stature a "tiny advantage" for AlphaTauri

Yuki Tsunoda believes his height will provide a "tiny advantage" during his maiden Formula 1 season.

Tsunoda was one of the standout performers in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix as he finished his maiden outing with AlphaTauri in ninth position.

The result ensured Tsunoda became the first Japanese driver to score points on an F1 debut and the first outright to score points on a rookie appearance since Stoffel Vandoorne in 2016.

Tsunoda is listed as being a fraction over five feet tall [1.59m], six inches [18cm] shorter than team-mate Pierre Gasly.

"For me, there is a tiny advantage but not a big one," said Tsunoda. "Especially in the junior categories because the FIA decide where you have to put the weight for weight distribution.

"You can't choose the place where you want to put it, so there is a tiny bit of an advantage but not much."

To ensure a level playing field, weights are added to a driver's seat if they are below the minimum weight of 80kg.

While some drivers struggle to fit into the snug cockpit of an F1 car, Tsunoda's height caused a contrasting problem as AlphaTauri was forced to design a special pedal box for the 20-year-old.

"For the aerodynamics, for me, I don't see much of a big difference because in Formula 1, especially AlphaTauri, they are made for big guys," added Tsunoda.

"We have to put lots of foam inside the monocoque to make my seat position higher to see clearly.

"We also made a quite special pedal case to reach the pedals, so we put in quite a lot of effort to make the perfect seat. For me, there isn't that much of an advantage."

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