The year 2007 was a great year for Formula 1. Fernando Alonso was defending his crown and had shifted to the storied McLaren team. However, the man who had humbled the great Michael Schumacher was pitted against a British rookie. That sounds a bit unfair, doesn’t it? It would have been if the rookie was anyone else other than Lewis Hamilton himself. That one year, when the Hamilton-Alonso rivalry was at its peak, was special for every F1 fan. But it was about to have a very profound effect on a certain 7-year-old Japanese boy.

Yuki Tsunoda was only seven years old when a young Hamilton silenced everyone including Alonso. And while during those days, Tsunoda could only hope to emulate what the two meant for the sport, now, he has a better chance of shadowing them to learn the secrets of the trade.

Yuki Tsunoda’s got front-row seats to the Lewis Hamilton & Fernando Alonso F1 masterclass

Any F1 fan would love to have even met the two legends of this sport once. Now imagine being able to compete alongside them at the very pinnacle of motorsport. That is the privilege young Tsunoda has. And this fact isn’t lost on the Japanese driver, too.

During a recent episode of the Beyond the Grid podcast, Tsunoda revealed, “It’s good that I think I’m literally learning a lot of things from those legends which I was watching from since I maybe…since I was seven years old. They are still racing which means they are obviously good drivers,” while referring to Hamilton and Alonso.

“And I’m driving literally next to them and am able to learn from um, really close to be a better driver. So, it’s. it’s really good, yeah,” he added.

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Tsunoda may still be attached to Red Bull‘s B-team in AlphaTauri, however, he may soon make the jump to the big leagues.

Big news for Yuki Tsunoda’s Red Bull future

In today’s date, the Red Bull race seat is one of the most coveted seats in all of motor-racing. Naturally, there are many takers for it. But for the one occupying the seat currently, there may be some news that may unsettle the Mexican, Sergio Perez. As it turns out, they’ve already found a replacement for him.

AlphaTauri boss Franz Tost told GPFans.com, “All I can say is that Yuki is on the right track. He has improved in every respect. But I think he should drive at Alpha Tauri again in 2024. In 2025, I think he will finally be ready for Red Bull.”

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Can Yuki Tsunoda emulate the legacies of Hamilton and Alonso in F1 if given a chance at a top team like Red Bull?