Breaking news
Formula 1
Marko hails "sensational" Tsunoda after Bahrain test
Red Bull Formula 1 advisor Helmut Marko heaped praise on AlphaTauri rookie Yuki Tsunoda following pre-season testing in Bahrain, calling his performance "sensational".
Luke Smith Christian Nimmervoll
Published: Mar 20, 2021, 2:05 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Tsunoda will make his F1 debut next weekend in Bahrain after being promoted by Red Bull to its sister team off the back of his third-place finish in Formula 2 last year.
After completing private tests for AlphaTauri in old F1 machinery, Tsunoda enjoyed his first extended running in the team's 2021 car in Bahrain last week.
Tsunoda turned heads with his charge to second place in the timesheets overall, finishing just 0.093 seconds off the best time posted by Red Bull's Max Verstappen.
Although Marko was impressed by AlphaTauri's performance through the test and the car it has produced, he was particularly complementary about Tsunoda's performance.
"Our Yuki Tsunoda is 20 years old, and has only been in this car for one-and-a-half days, but he has delivered a sensational performance," Marko said in an interview with RTL.
"Of course you can't do that without a car. But I guess AlphaTauri will be near the front midfield, which is very close. There is Renault, there is Ferrari, also Aston Martin.
"I think McLaren is a notch ahead. We expect there to be a tough battle there. Depending on the track, one or the other will be in front. But again, Tsunoda was sensational."
Read Also:
- The DRS trick behind Tsunoda’s standout Bahrain laptimes
- Tsunoda brings "extraordinary" strengths to AlphaTauri - Tost
- The hidden work that helped Tsunoda grab his F1 chance
Marko has been instrumental in Tsunoda's rise through the ranks with the Red Bull junior academy, jumping from F4 to F1 in just three years.
The Japanese driver spent just a single year in both F3 and F2 before moving up to F1, having also received support from Honda throughout his junior career.
Tsunoda felt the fashion in which he quickly adapted to each junior series will leave him in good shape for his debut in F1 this year as he bids to get up to speed.
"Two years ago, for first time I came to Europe, in Formula 3, and most of the tracks I was on for the first time," Tsunoda said.
"There was only one free practice and you were straight in qualifying. You have to perform well in qualifying to get a good points in every race.
"In the beginning of the season in Formula 3, I struggled a bit to adapt to the tracks. But that hard situation makes it better for the adapting well. Especially in Formula 2, that experience was really useful.
"Those two years in Formula 2 and Formula 3, adapting to the car experience, is already useful for Formula 1, [and will be] especially in the beginning of the season."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Verstappen doesn't see himself as 2021 F1 title favourite
Next article F1 2021 secrecy obsession not unusual, says Fry
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Luke Smith
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
Formula 1
Formula 1 Jul 22, 2025
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Formula 1
Formula 1 Apr 19, 2023
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
Formula 1
Formula 1 Feb 18, 2023
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
More from
Yuki Tsunoda
Five contenders to replace Esteban Ocon at Haas for F1 2027
Formula 1
Formula 1
Azerbaijan GP
1 mo
Five contenders to replace Esteban Ocon at Haas for F1 2027
Yuki Tsunoda reveals why he failed to master Red Bull's F1 car in 2025
Formula 1
Formula 1
Spanish GP
1 mo
Yuki Tsunoda reveals why he failed to master Red Bull's F1 car in 2025
Latest news
The ten closest finishes from the 2026 NASCAR season
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup 2 h
The ten closest finishes from the 2026 NASCAR season
‘Lewis suspected a conspiracy’ – Nico Rosberg explains how Lewis Hamilton F1 rivalry went awry at Mercedes
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 2 h
‘Lewis suspected a conspiracy’ – Nico Rosberg explains how Lewis Hamilton F1 rivalry went awry at Mercedes
BMW "proud of what we achieved" after securing runner-up in 2026 WEC
WEC
WEC WEC
Monza
4 h
BMW "proud of what we achieved" after securing runner-up in 2026 WEC
The numbers that reveal how sprint races have turned the MotoGP title fight upside down
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Qatar GP
6 h
The numbers that reveal how sprint races have turned the MotoGP title fight upside down
Feature
Discover prime content
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Formula 1
By Kevin Turner
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe