VIDEO | Why you should look out for Yuki Tsunoda next season
General
Yuki Tsunoda will become the latest rookie to step up to Formula 1 and the first Japanese driver since Kamui Kobayashi. He's arriving with high praise from Helmut Marko but what can we expect from Alpha Tauri's new driver?
Qualifying pace
Yuki Tsunoda's qualifying pace was up there with the best in F2 last year. He took four out of a possible 12 pole positions on his way to third in the F2 drivers' standings. He'll be up against Pierre Gasly next season who won his qualifying battle 13-4 against Daniil Kvyat so it'll be interesting to see if he'll play second fiddle to the Frenchman or whether his pace will translate to F1.
Adaptability
Tsunoda has risen through the divisions very quickly, going from F4 in 2018 to F1 next season. He's shown a good ability to be able to adapt to new setups and new standards very quickly. He'll be hoping the same will happen with his F1 career, even more so given Red Bull and Alpha Tauri's ruthless nature.
F2 title challenge
Not many drivers have been able to compete for the F2 title in their first season but Yuki Tsunoda pushed all the way. He ended the season 15 points behind title winner Mick Schumacher who was in his second season. Alex Albon took two year whilst it took Nicholas Latifi four years before they were capable of a title tilt. In recent years Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris and George Russell have competed for the F2 title in their first year and now they have proven their quality in the pinnacle of motorsport.
Driving spirit
To make it in F1 you have to have a strong driving spirit, and from his display in Bahrain in F2 Tsunoda certainly has it. The Japanese driver started the feature race in last after a mistake in qualifying. However, he stormed through the field to finish sixth the sort of performance which is unheard of in Formula 2.