Yuki Tsunoda reveals impact of stress-relieving relocation

AlphaTauri - Yuki Tsunoda

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Tsunoda reveals impact of stress-relieving relocation

Tsunoda was moved from London to Italy in 2021

Ian Parkes

Friday 30 December 2022 14:05

Yuki Tsunoda has hailed the impact of his move to Faenza despite on-track results failing to underline the benefit of his experiences away from the F1 paddock.

The Japanese driver was relocated by AlphaTauri midway through 2021, moving away from the UK to be closer to the team.

Prior to the move, Tsunoda confessed to being a "lazy b*****d" but although the underwhelming AT03 did not allow him to showcase any steps forward he had made, the 22-year-old has insisted there was personal progress.

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Asked how the move had benefited him over the course of the past season, Tsunoda told GPFans in an end-of-year interview: "It helped, especially to feel comfortable to live.

"In F1, when you arrive at a track, there is a lot of stress going around, so it is important to be as comfortable as possible when you are away from the track and when you are in the house.

"In the UK, the atmosphere there was as much as I wanted. The weather especially impacted me. Weather is quite an important thing for me, and food as well.

"So when I went to Italy, I already felt more energetic, more than usual. Then I felt it was a big, important move and was having a good impact on me.

"From then, I started to have a good rhythm when I got to the track, focusing fully on my race."

Tsunoda "reset" a plus for AlphaTauri

Speaking earlier last term, Tsunoda explained how he had previously spent the majority of his time gaming on his Playstation.

But one year on, it appears the 22-year-old has found a better balance away from the race track.

"Outside of racing, I was able to reset and rest myself," he added.

"I started to have a good balance and progress started to come from the second half of [the 2021] season.

"Of course, moving to Faenza and consistently talking to the factory and consistently talking with the engineers helps a lot to understand the car and also to build up the relationship with the team.

"I would say 50-50 for the team side and my side."

Additional reporting by Sam Hall