Yuki Tsunoda reveals how Daniel Ricciardo taught him the ‘most valuable’ lesson as teammates

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Yuki Tsunoda partnered with some elite drivers during his stint as a full-time driver on the F1 grid, but, according to the Japanese driver, no one taught him a more “valuable” lesson than Daniel Ricciardo.

Tsunoda began his career in the pinnacle of single-seater motor racing alongside Pierre Gasly, with whom he still holds a strong relationship following the Frenchman’s split from Red Bull’s F1 setup in favour of a drive at Alpine.

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On the other end of the spectrum, Tsunoda’s most recent teammate was Max Verstappen at the front-running Red Bull Racing outfit. The Dutchman thoroughly trounced Tsunoda in equal machinery, which ultimately led to him falling off the grid at the end of 2025.

However, the teammate that has had the most impact on Tsunoda is Ricciardo. Despite spending less than a full season together as counterparts, the 26-year-old has revealed just how valuable the Australian was as a teammate.

• READ MORE: Daniel Ricciardo helped Yuki Tsunoda address one major weakness before he left Racing Bulls F1 team

Yuki Tsunoda hails Daniel Ricciardo’s ‘professionalism’ as the ‘most valuable’ thing he’s been taught in F1

During an interview with the F1 Nation podcast in front of a live audience at last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, Tsunoda was asked for the “most valuable” thing he has ever learnt from one of his former F1 teammates.

Despite sharing a garage with the likes of four-time F1 world champion Verstappen, the Kanagawa-born driver holds his partnership with Ricciardo in great stead.

“Well, I’ve learnt a lot from every driver, and they’re all different,” the Japanese driver began. “Also, I was in different phases. With Pierre, I was a rookie. I learned a lot from him, but I would say out of all these drivers I would choose Daniel.

“Every time I think about how Daniel behaved and showed the team how he is in any condition, any situation, I thought he was the most professional guy I’ve ever seen. I was a bit of the opposite.

“Whenever I had a bad session, I carried that kind of emotional feeling to the engineering room, and I wasn’t able to provide good feedback to the engineers. But with Daniel, in any situation, he’s very calm, and he gives very positive energy to the team.”

• READ MORE: Daniel Ricciardo told he played crucial ‘part’ in Yuki Tsunoda’s earning his Red Bull promotion

After spending a season alongside the seasoned Australian, Tsunoda labelled Ricciardo as his “mentor” in the sport, a comment that would have certainly gone down well with the 37-year-old.

Nowadays, the eight-time Grand Prix winner is enjoying his retirement from an active racing career as a brand ambassador for Ford Racing. Ricciardo recently made an appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where he reunited with Tsunoda.