Following a challenging Hungarian Grand Prix for the entire Red Bull Racing team, Yuki Tsunoda has provided a fascinating glimpse into his own self-belief and determination.
He is claiming that he is now consistently within a tenth of a second of his four-time world champion teammate, Max Verstappen.
While Tsunoda and Verstappen both endured a difficult weekend in Budapest, with Verstappen finishing ninth and Tsunoda a lowly 17th, the Japanese driver's post-race analysis was focused on the positives he believes he has found.
Speaking to reporters after the race, Tsunoda was candid about the team's struggles. "One stop would have been better because the overtaking was really difficult," he admitted.
"The speed... it’s just funny, two or three laps, he was doing the same laps as the leaders, but we believe we know what went wrong."
However, the core of Tsunoda's message was a defiant self-assessment of his improving performance relative to the sport's benchmark driver. "The gap with Max continues to close, it may not feel like we are getting there but on paper we are only one tenth off his pace,"
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"I'm not sure many other drivers could get as close to him."
Tsunoda's newfound belief is now being backed up by a determined work ethic over the summer break.
Jiji Press
He confirmed that he would be bypassing a much-needed rest to get straight back to work. "I am heading straight to the factory tomorrow to go into the simulator," he said.
"We need to investigate where we went wrong and put in some hard work over the summer break so that we don't start the next half of the season how we finished this one.
"It's frustrating but we will stay positive and bounce back stronger."
For a team that is now a staggering 97 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri, Tsunoda's determination and apparent closing of the performance gap with Verstappen will be a welcome source of positivity.
The challenge now for Tsunoda and Red Bull will be to translate that on-paper pace into consistent on-track results.
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