Alex Albon jokes 23-year-old driver would be five-time champion in Alain Prost’s era

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Williams driver Alex Albon has joked that Yuki Tsunoda would have been a five-time F1 world champion during Alain Prost’s era.

The Japanese RB driver has never finished on the podium during his three seasons of Formula 1.

But, speaking on Team Torque, Albon and teammate Logan Sargeant believe the 23-year-old would have been an elite driver during the 1980s.

Albon jokes Tsunoda would be F1 champion in Prost’s era

Yuki Tsunoda’s Formula 1 career has been decent but hardly spectacular.

After joining the AlphaTauri team as Pierre Gasly’s teammate, he scored 32 points during his debut campaign in 2021.

It’s the best tally he’s recorded so far in Formula 1, but there’s plenty of excitement surrounding RB’s new car this year, so much so, that Ted Kravitz has suggested his teammate Daniel Ricciardo could score podiums this season.

However, with his contract running out at the end of the year and a potential Red Bull drive available for 2025, Tsunoda has plenty of motivation to make sure this season is the best of his career.

Alex Albon has suggested that if Tsunoda were a driver during the 1980s, he would already be a multiple world champion due to his size.

The 23-year-old is the smallest driver on the grid right now and Albon believes that would have given him a distinct advantage during Prost’s time.

Tsunoda facing the biggest season of his F1 career

Talking about the Prost’s time in F1, Logan Sargeant said: “I didn’t realise back in the day, there was no weight limit, that was a huge advantage!”

Albon replied: “Alain Prost, he’s tiny! If we were racing against each other you’d have a good advantage over me if it wasn’t for this regulation.

“Imagine Yuki, Yuki would be a five-time world champion by now! He’d be unbelievable!”

The rules in Formula 1 now state that if any driver weighs under 80kg, then ballast needs to be added to the car to level the playing field.

It means that the advantage Albon suggests Tsunoda would have that could have made him a world champion no longer exists.

The Japanese driver has recently admitted that he would love to make the step up to the main Red Bull team one day.

However, he’s also commented on how fun the Ferrari looks to drive this year.

Ultimately, his aim has to be to stay in Formula 1, especially with Liam Lawson lurking in the shadows.