‘Feisty’ 23-year-old F1 driver seriously impresses at Sao Paulo Grand Prix

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AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda had one of his best weekends of the season in Brazil, scoring points for in both races this weekend.

Commentating on Sunday’s race for Sky Sports F1, David Croft and Martin Brundle were both impressed with the young Japanese driver.

The battle for points has been exceptionally difficult for the bottom four teams this season in Formula 1.

The reliability of the fastest cars and the gulf in speed between the front and back of the pack means there are eight drivers this season with 10 points or less.

It’s harsh to include Daniel Ricciardo or Liam Lawson in that group given how few races they’ve been involved in, although they’ve both impressed in their respective cameos.

It means that with two races to go, Williams, AlphaTauri, Alfa Romeo and Haas are all aiming to finish seventh in the Constructors’ Championship.

Tsunoda did a fantastic job for AlphaTauri in Brazil, adding five points to his tally over the weekend.

It means he’s now leapfrogged Nico Hulkenberg and Valtteri Bottas in the standings and the Italian team are closing in on Williams who failed to score a point on Sunday.

AlphaTauri driver Tsunoda impresses in Brazil

Watching the 23-year-old at Interlagos, Martin Brundle said: “This looks a bit feisty doesn’t it?”

David Croft added: “Doesn’t it just? Yuki Tsunoda on Valtteri Bottas, it’s like taking candy from a baby that one.

“Yuki Tsunoda up to tenth place as the AlphaTauri gets past the Alfa Romeo after they started the race on level points.”

Tsunoda should have added to his points tally before arriving in Brazil with AlphaTauri looking very fast in Mexico City.

Unfortunately, contact with Oscar Piastri saw him spin out and he could only recover to 12^th on that occasion.

There’s been plenty of talk about the driver set-up in the two Red Bull teams with Sergio Perez struggling to keep up with Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo itching for a promotion.

The one person not included in those discussions is Tsunoda who is getting ready to spend a fourth season with AlphaTauri in 2024.

He doesn’t seem to be in any danger of losing his seat, although Liam Lawson’s impressive cameo will be giving the team something to think about.

It’s easy to forget how young Tsunoda is and he still has plenty of time to reach his true potential.