Tsunoda wants to drive alongside Verstappen

Max Verstappen may be one of the grid’s most formidable team-mates butYuki Tsunodahopes he will one day drive alongside the Dutchman.

The Japanese driver is entering his first season in Formula 1 after he was picked to replace Daniil Kvyat at AlphaTauri for 2021 and beyond.

He is highly rated by Red Bull and widely expected to drive for the team sooner rather than later.

If or when he does get the promotion, he is hopingVerstappenwill still be there.

“I know Max is really fast and he is one of the drivers I want to drive with,” he told theDaily Mail.

“In the future, of course, Red Bull are a really good team, they have a really good car. Hopefully, I can drive there one day and drive with Max, but he is in a different team and also has a different target.

“And I am really happy to drive with AlphaTauri this year. So for me, I am just focusing on this year and focusing to beat my team-mate and trying to get as many points as possible. Hopefully, I can drive with Max in the future, but I am just focusing on this year with AlphaTauri.

“I think it is a really good team, especially for your first year, because they have lots of experience with the rookie drivers and they know how to make the rookie drivers build up and grow up.

“So I want to just work with them for now and perform well for them.”

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Much like Verstappen, Tsunoda has forged a reputation for having an aggressive and exciting driving style as he has taken the feeder categories by storm.

He intends to keep it in F1 and believes it can work, but has picked out other areas in which he needs to improve.

“I think my driving looks aggressive because I have strong confidence with the braking, especially the braking zone,” he added.

“And I am really strong and confident at overtaking. I try to always make it once. I don’t want to budge into each other and waste my tyres, so I always put all my effort into the braking and I really am happy they (AlphaTauri) are looking for that aggressive style and that they like it.

“So I am just trying to keep that style even in Formula 1 and I am just looking to build up the confidence towards the end. I just try to keep the style and drive.

“My weakest point at the moment is my consistency, so I just need to work hard to get that consistency. Especially in Formula 1, it is really important for consistency, so just try to work hard and improve that weak point.”

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