In his fourth season in Formula 1, Tsunoda is known for expressing his feelings openly through team radio messages. He talked about feeling frustrated during the Bahrain Grand Prix when he was asked to let his teammate Daniel Ricciardo pass him. Tsunoda realized he needed to control his emotions better if he wanted to compete for a seat at Red Bull next year.
In the next race in Saudi Arabia, Haas driver Kevin Magnussen overtook Tsunoda illegally and then slowed him down to help his teammate earn a point. Tsunoda saw this as a test of his self-control and was happy with how he handled it.
He said, “It felt normal for me to want to talk on the radio like usual, but I want to change that about myself. So, I’m glad I was able to show some progress, even if it’s just a little bit.”
Even though he didn’t use team radio, Tsunoda still felt stressed. He explained that holding back from using the radio required more energy than racing an F1 car. He said, “I didn’t expect it to be so tiring to stay quiet. It was harder than dealing with the physical demands of racing, like the pressure on my neck or the G-forces.”
Tsunoda believes it will take time to get used to not using the team radio, but he’s proud of himself for managing it for the first time. He’s confident he can continue doing it in the future.
Also read: Ricciardo Confounded by Inability to Match Tsunoda Despite Setting “Best” Lap of F1 2024