David Croft now hails £15k-a-week Formula 1 driver, thinks he’s got ‘massive potential’

Follow us on Google Discover

Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft has hailed Visa Cash App RB driver Yuki Tsunoda and believes the 23-year-old has ‘massive potential’.

It was a difficult opening Grand Prix for Yuki Tsunoda after being told to let his teammate pass in the closing stages and then nearly colliding with Daniel Ricciardo on the cooldown lap.

Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 Podcast, Croft believes that we’ve yet to see the best of the Japanese driver.

David Croft believes Yuki Tsunoda has massive potential

Yuki Tsunoda is heading into a pivotal fourth season in Formula 1.

Drivers very rarely hang around for that long in Red Bull’s sister team, either earning a promotion to the main team or being let go.

This year, he has a particularly difficult challenge coming up against the much more experienced Daniel Ricciardo.

The Australian has shared his dream of finishing his career at Red Bull, but Tsunoda has admitted that he wants the same thing too.

They can’t both get what they want, although if Sergio Perez continues to finish second to Max Verstappen, they might not have a seat to compete for anyway.

Croft has given his verdict on both Ricciardo and Tsunoda and believes the 23-year-old has serious potential.

His team principal Laurent Mekies believes he’s surprised the whole of the Formula 1 world with the progression he’s made over recent seasons.

He needs to continue that trajectory to continue progressing in his F1 career.

Tsunoda has had a chaotic start to 2024 season

Speaking about the main incident involving the £15k-a-week driver, Croft said: “I have a modicum of sympathy, no I have more than a modicum of sympathy for Yuki Tsunoda during the race.

“He’s four-tenths behind Kevin Magnussen, he’s got DRS and the team say let Daniel [Ricciardo] through.

“Now, I’m not sure I’d be that obliging at that point either, it was a clumsy time to try and engineer a swap.

“I have less sympathy for what happened after the race, but in the heat of the moment, athletes, sportspeople do things that they wouldn’t normally do when they’ve got a calm, clear and level head.

“But Laurent Mekies the new team principal, a fine team principal in the making I think, a very intelligent, very calm man needs to get both drivers together and say, ‘Right, you’ve had your chance, next time, you do what we say because we’ve got all the data.’

“That was just silly.”

Asked who’s got the edge between the two drivers, Croft added: “Daniel’s got winning experience, Yuki I think has got massive potential to unlock, I really do.

“I think they’re converging to quite similar abilities at this stage in their career.”

Tsunoda has to turn the potential that Croft talks about into results if he’s going to be a fantastic Formula 1 driver.

While he’s never had the car to regularly challenge for podiums or race wins, it’s hard to argue he’s done enough to earn a move to a team that could offer him that.

He’s got 23 more races this season – provided RB don’t turn to Liam Lawson – to prove he’s worthy of that chance.