Components 1 roars again to life this week.
Beginning Wednesday all ten groups, and all 20 drivers, will likely be in motion at Bahrain Worldwide Circuit, for pre-season testing. This provides groups and drivers an opportunity to place their 2025 challengers by means of the paces, and get ready for the 2025 marketing campaign.
Whereas some drivers are getting acclimated with new groups — or with F1 itself within the case of the incoming rookie class of drivers — that isn’t the case for Yuki Tsunoda. Set to start his fifth F1 season Tsunoda is now the veteran presence at Visa Money App Racing Bulls, because the crew welcomes a type of rookies, Isack Hadjar.
Actually, Tsunoda even has some expertise teaching his new teammate.
“I’m nonetheless attending to know Isack however I do know he has achieved a extremely good job within the junior classes, particularly in Components Two final yr,” mentioned Tsunoda within the crew’s 2025 press package. “I believe I met him for the primary time in 2018, when there was a collaboration between the French federation (FFSA) and the Honda Junior Programme. Isack got here to Suzuka for a Honda choice course of and I used to be already a Honda driver and it was my job to be a kind of coach for the others. It’s humorous that a number of years later we’re going to be teammates!”
As for the way Tsunoda is approaching his fifth season in F1, the driving force is trying to enhance his communication with the crew, in addition to his total consistency.
“I’m hoping that my fifth season in Components One will likely be an extension of how the previous years have gone, all the time making progress,” mentioned Tsunoda. “I plan to nail it down much more, to be a extra full driver, particularly in two areas: aiming to enhance how I talk and to carry out extra persistently. I’d say that applies not simply to how I sort out the races, but additionally exterior of the particular racing itself.”
Tsunoda completed twelfth within the F1 Drivers’ Championship in 2024, his finest end since becoming a member of the grid for the 2021 season. His finest weekend was maybe the Miami Grand Prix, when he completed within the factors in each the F1 Dash Race (P8) and the Miami Grand Prix itself (P7).
Consistency can be on the forefront of Tsunoda’s thoughts relating to what he hopes to get from the crew, and the VCARB 02, in 2025.
“We lacked some consistency final yr, the automotive may very well be good at one observe, however not the identical on the subsequent one. After all, there have been races the place I felt I might have achieved higher, however on the whole, we have been additionally missing a bit bit when it got here to in-season improvement, in comparison with our closest rivals,” added Tsunoda. “We caught up proper on the finish, nevertheless it was not sufficient. Ideally, we want begin to the season, as we had final yr, however then we want to ensure we push on creating the automotive over the course of the yr. I imagine that would be the key to creating progress.”
Nonetheless, VCARB’s veteran driver feels “assured” heading into the 2025 marketing campaign.
“On the very least, I anticipate to start out this season the place I ended the final one. By the top of final yr, I had a stronger mindset and had extra management than at the start of the season,” added Tsunoda. “After that, I need to be much more centered and work on bettering the small margins. That may make the distinction and permit us to proceed combating within the high 10, in what I anticipate to be a fair tighter contest this yr. I’ll take it step-by-step, however I’m feeling assured.”
Tsunoda and Hadjar will likely be in motion Wednesday when three days of pre-season testing kicks off in Bahrain.
