Daniel Ricciardo will love the one word Yuki Tsunoda used to describe him after being F1 teammates

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Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo were one of the most popular pairings in the Formula 1 paddock during their time racing together.

Daniel Ricciardo made an unexpected Formula 1 comeback halfway through the 2023 campaign.

After being dropped by McLaren for Oscar Piastri, Ricciardo found himself off the grid for the first time since his debut with HRT in 2011.

However, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner called on Ricciardo to return with AlphaTauri after Nyck de Vries failed to impress.

That meant Ricciardo joining Yuki Tsunoda, who was in his third season with Red Bull’s second team.

The pair formed a brilliant relationship, and after Pierre Gasly moved to Alpine, the Japanese driver was once again paired with a driver who matched his energy levels.

Ricciardo lost his seat last season after the Singapore Grand Prix to Liam Lawson.

However, in a recent interview, Tsunoda has shown just how important Ricciardo was to his development.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda’s life outside F1 from height to parents

Yuki Tsunoda admits Daniel Ricciardo was his Formula 1 ‘mentor’ before Red Bull promotion

Tsunoda was speaking on the Talking Bull Podcast and asked to use one word to describe some of his teammates.

When asked about Pierre Gasly, he said: “Brother,” before being asked about Ricciardo and answering, “Teacher? No, teacher’s wrong.

“Mentor? Yes, mentor.”

For De Vries, Tsunoda said: “We were racing for quite a long time together. So, I can’t say old friends? OK, old friends.”

He was then asked about his Racing Bulls teammate from this season, Isack Hadjar and answered: “Bro, brother.”

Finally, for Max Verstappen, Tsunoda simply described him as a “Gin and tonic,” referring back to a previous conversation in which he admitted that the four-time world champion introduced him to the drink.

READ MORE: Daniel Ricciardo’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

How Daniel Ricciardo helped improve Yuki Tsunoda’s racing feedback

Tsunoda would have completed 100 Grand Prix for Red Bull’s second team had he not earned his impromptu promotion at this year’s Japanese Grand Prix.

Red Bull typically don’t want drivers to spend that long in their development team, but a shortage of young drivers to promote meant letting Tsunoda go never made sense.

New Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies believes Ricciardo helped improve Tsunoda’s feedback, something that had previously held him back.

Ricciardo also improved Tsunoda’s approach to working in different types of cars during their 26 races together.

The Japanese driver came out 17-9 ahead in qualifying during their races together, highlighting how quick Tsunoda can be in the right car, considering Ricciardo is an eight-time race winner.

Unfortunately, Tsunoda’s time at Red Bull could be coming to an end, but he can look back on his partnership with Ricciardo as one of the most positive times during his association with the team.