via Reuters
Formula One F1 – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – December 11, 2020 AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda arrives at the Yas Marina Circuit Hamad I Mohammed/Pool via REUTERS
via Reuters
Formula One F1 – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – December 11, 2020 AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda arrives at the Yas Marina Circuit Hamad I Mohammed/Pool via REUTERS
Yuki Tsunoda is the shortest ever (1.59m) Formula 1 driver in the 71-year-old history of the sport. He is making his debut with AlphaTauri in Bahrain this weekend. The Japanese driver has embraced his height, or the lack of it, and has been making hilarious jokes about it.
As the 2021 season kicks off this weekend, the drivers were being interviewed about the season and their goals. Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda made another hilarious joke about his height.
The reporters were waiting for the AlphaTauri driver, and Tsunoda made a comment as soon as he arrived that had the reporters laughing. He asked for a second, lowered his mic, and said, “My routine always.”
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Gag..Yuki Tsunoda le japonais de chez Alpha Tauri (1m59) qui ajuste notre micro..trop haut pour lui..cela fait partie de sa routine dit-il…#rtbfsport @f1 #BahrainGP @AlphaTauriF1 pic.twitter.com/Z6BOqvcxhe
— VIGNERON GAETAN (@VIGNERONGAETAN) March 25, 2021
The first joke relating to his height was after the launch of AlphaTauri’s 2021 challenger. Formula 1 uploaded a picture of Tsunoda in the new car and asked, “In 2021, @yukitsunoda07 will___”. Yuki was quick to reply and said, “Grow”.
Yuki Tsunoda had to adjust the car for his short frame, states Yuki Tsunoda
The Japanese driver first drove the new AT02 at Imola pre-season before impressing everyone in the pre-season testing. However, he recently explained in an interview that he had to go an extra step to ensure he gets to drive the car.
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“First, I have to put a lot of foam inside the monocoque to make my seat position higher to see the view clearly. And also, we made a quite special pedal case [for me] to reach the pedals,” explained the Alpha Tauri driver.
via Getty
Yuki Tsunoda of Scuderia AlphaTauri and Japan during the F1 Young Drivers Test at Yas Marina Circuit on December 15, 2020 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)
Tsunoda believes that his short stature does not provide an advantage in weight distribution. He said, “We had a lot of work, we put quite a lot of efforts to make the perfect seat, so for me, it isn’t much of a big advantage.”
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The Japanese driver has been winning several hearts on social media. He also impressed the Formula 1 community through his driving skills at the pre-season testing when he battled Verstappen to top the timesheets.
Do you believe he will continue to impress through the season and be the Rookie of the Year?
