"Super talent" Tsunoda predicted for second half of rookie F1 season surge

AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost has predicted a strong second half to Yuki Tsunoda's rookie F1 campaign after the Japanese driver registered his best result of the season in Azerbaijan.

After an underwhelming Monaco Grand Prix performance involving a crash during free practice, AlphaTauri relocated 21-year-old Tsunoda to Faenza.

The 21-year-old's days follow a strict schedule set out by Tost and the results immediately showed as Tsunoda recorded a seventh-place finish on his first race around the Baku streets.

“Yuki did a fantastic job I must say," said Tost. "Okay, he had on Saturday a small incident but it was in qualifying three and it can happen.

"It happened to more experienced drivers and on Sunday his race pace sometimes was unbelievable.

“I was really worried that something would happen because he was really fast and he is in a very good way.

"I think he will come up with some good results in the second half of the season when he gets a little bit more experience and especially on race tracks which he knows.”

Tsunoda's 'most complete performance'

Tsunoda's only other points-paying result was scored in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix in which he finished ninth.

For Tost, this latest performance stands out as a new high point.

Asked if the weekend was Tsunoda's most complete performance, Tost replied: “For me, yes, because he improved a lot.

"We must not forget it was his first time in Baku. Of course, in Bahrain, he scored two points when he finished ninth but he knew the track quite well from Formula 2. Then we tested there, we could find a good set up.

"In Baku, he didn’t know the track and he immediately got quite familiar with it and he started from the seventh position and finished seventh.

"For me, a really fantastic job from his side, a fantastic performance. We have to work on some things, we know this, but I am confident that we will get everything together because he is a super talent."

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