Yuki Tsunoda admits that he has found life in Formula 1 very challenging although he feels that his mindset is in a good place going into this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Tsunoda was very impressive at the season-opening Bahrain GP but a series of mistakes in Imola led to some quiet events for the Japanese rookie in Portugal, Spain and Monaco. "The technical aspect is still quite challenging," Tsunoda said in a press release. "I have been struggling a bit with the car set-up. I believe that is normal as I have only done five races, but the important thing is that I am learning a lot about the car. "My mindset is fine, I’m in good shape and things are going in the right direction. I am feeling more familiar with the race weekend, there are less surprises and I feel more in control and I’ve got used to some of the things that surprised me earlier in the year, like all the media work at races on a Thursday. "It was using up a lot of my energy but now I am more comfortable with everything which is a positive thing. There is still some pressure, but I am enjoying every minute of being a Formula 1 driver and there is always something new to deal with at every new track." Baku is another track that Tsunoda has never raced at. More familiar territory will come in the summer but Tsunoda is eager to adapt to the Azerbaijan circuit quickly before trying to match teammate Pierre Gasly when it matters most in qualifying and the race. "I have never raced there before but I have driven it on the simulator of course," said Tsunoda. "Most of the corners seem to be 90 degree turns and almost all the corners are taken in similar speed range so it will be interesting. "It’s another street circuit, but it looks as though it might be a little bit easier to adapt to than Monaco. Hopefully I will be in a better situation there. "Again, I will try and do as many laps as possible and my main aim will be to make sure I don’t get too close to the walls in practice and qualifying. I will take the Monaco experience and everything I learned there and apply it in Azerbaijan."
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