Sunday’s grand prix marks the first time Yuki Tsunoda will be competing in the pinnacle of motorsports at home as Formula One returns to Japan for the first time since 2019.
Suzuka, located just over four hours from where Tsunoda was born, is where the 22-year-old’s journey to F1 began. He made his debut during that round of the Japanese F4 championship in 2016 and went on to win the title in ’18. That landed him a spot on the Red Bull Junior Team, and the Honda Formula Dream Project the following year in Formula Three. By 2021, Tsunoda found himself on the F1 grid alongside Pierre Gasly on AlphaTauri.
Now, his face is plastered all over posters surrounding the track as fans welcome him home. He said during Thursday’s press conference, “It’s very cool. Currently I don’t feel like getting pressure because it’s really hard imagine I’m driving here...Just four years ago I was one of the spectators watching these guys, you know? And now I’m driving in front of them, Japanese fans.”
