Yuki Tsunoda’s father told him to copy Fernando Alonso after ‘impressive’ tactic he saw at Suzuka

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Yuki Tsunoda was less than a year old when Fernando Alonso made his Formula 1 debut in 2001. Other drivers like Oscar Piastri, Liam Lawson and Franco Colapinto weren’t even born.

Alonso failed to score any points in his rookie year with Minardi and then moved to Renault in a reserve role before they gave him a full-time seat in 2003. He rewarded them with a maiden victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

And just two years later, Alonso won the first of back-to-back world championships. Those remain his only titles to date, though the consensus is that his talent deserves more.

Tsunoda would arrive in F1 20 years later than Alonso. He’s made 84 race starts thus far, scoring 89 points.

The 24-year-old is still waiting for his first Formula 1 podium, with a highest finish of fourth. But he’s taken a clear step forward in his driving this year.

With three races remaining, Tsunoda sits just three points outside the top 10 in the drivers’ standings. He’s never previously finished higher than 14th.

Yuki Tsunoda’s father wanted him to imitate Fernando Alonso’s final-corner line at Suzuka

During an appearance on the Red Flags podcast, it was put to Tsunoda that his father was ‘obsessed’ with Alonso and that he used to ‘drill’ him on how the Spaniard drove a lap of Suzuka. He confirmed this was true.

The first time they watched him in action at the iconic circuit, his father was particularly impressed by how he navigated the final corner. His wider line on turn-in helped him avoid a slide without losing any momentum.

Alonso won the Japanese GP with Renault in 2006 and did so again following his return to the team in 2008. He hasn’t taken any victories since 2013, but is hopeful of ending that drought with Aston Martin in 2026.

“My dad for sure liked especially how he drives,” Tsunoda said of Alonso. “When we watched Suzuka Formula 1 for the first time, he was impressed by how he was driving, especially when he exited from the last corner after the chicane – a tricky long right corner that goes down.

“Some drivers lose their car there and go to the barrier. How he controlled the car and went out very closely to the grass, to not lose the momentum from the chicane, he was really impressive.”

What Fernando Alonso’s rivals were privately thinking when he reached 400 races

Tsunoda and Alonso are now rivals in F1’s midfield, with a couple of places separating them in the standings. It’s no doubt surreal for his father to see them competing.

Alonso recently became the first driver to enter 400 Grands Prix. And he’ll make his 400th start in Qatar at the beginning of December.

According to Sky Sports F1 interviewer Rachel Brookes, the drivers looked daunted by Alonso’s milestone when they addressed it in the media pen. 13 of the other 19 haven’t even reached 200 yet.

He’s only managed to win just under eight percent of those races, and the figure has continued to dwindle. Alonso had the chance to race for Red Bull but turned them down, a decision he surely regrets.