Yuki Tsunoda

Biography of F1 driver Yuki Tsunoda

Despite his young age, Yuki Tsunoda is a name to look out for in the world of F1 after a meteoric rise through the ranks.

The Japanese driver made up for a slow start in F3 by impressing in his debut F2 campaign, finishing third in the championship behind Mick Schumacher and Callum Ilott. Nevertheless, it was enough to earn him a call up to F1 with AlphaTauri.

Will a move to Red Bull happen in the future? Time will tell, but in the meantime, her is everything you need to know about Yuki Tsunoda.

Tsunoda's karting career

Tsunoda began his karting career in 2010, joining the JAF Junior Karting Championship before moving to the regional class in 2013 and the national class the following year.

Honda Formula Dream Project and single-seater debut

In 2016, Tsunoda became a member of the Honda Formula Dream Project, along with making his single-seater debut in the F4 Japanese Championship.

Driving for Sutekina Racing Team at a one-off event in Suzuka, Tsunoda finished second in his first race and followed that up with fourth in the second race. He started his first full season in the series in 2017, along with competing in the regional East series of the JAF F4 Japanese Championship. Tsunoda took home the regional championship while finishing third in the national Formula 4 championship, both while racing for Honda.

Tsunoda continued with the Honda Formula Dream Project in 2018, taking the Japanese F4 crown thanks to seven wins.

Formula 3 and Euroformula Open

After Honda struck a deal to supply Red Bull with engines in F1, Tsunoda joined the Red Bull junior team while keeping his ties to Honda. From there the Japanese driver joined Jenzer Motorsport for the newly announced FIA Formula 3 Championship, finishing ninth in the championship thanks to three podium finishes and a win.

The racing didn't end there for Tsunoda though as he also competed in the Euroformula Open Championship for Motopark, claiming the maiden championship thanks to a win at the second race in Hockenheim.

F2 and F1 with AlphaTauri

Honda announced that Tsunoda would drive for Carlin in the FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2020, taking three wins, four poles and seven podiums to finish third in the championship with 200 points.

His performances garnered much attention, with AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost announcing Tsunoda would drive for the team at the end-of-season rookie test in Abu Dhabi. Another test followed at Imola in January 2021, with Tsunoda eventually replacing Daniil Kvyat alongside Pierre Gasly for the 2021 F1 season.