Why I feel Tsunoda is in a very 'lucky' position as a young driver
Although Tsunoda has been facing various misfortunes and hurdles since his long-awaited debut this year, he might actually be a very lucky rookie driver. The reason is... in terms of pure performance, his current team, AlphaTauri, is positioned to rival Renault and Aston Martin. Both of these teams have former 'World Champions' on their rosters, and I get the impression that he frequently finds himself lining up on the grid alongside 'Fernando Alonso,' who is widely considered the strongest active driver, especially in terms of technique—whether by chance or by fate. In a sense, I strongly feel he is in a 'very lucky' situation where he can learn from a true master of the craft.
Of course, from Alonso's perspective... he might have mixed feelings about battling the de facto B-team of 'Honda'—a company with which he once had a strained relationship due to his excessive complaints (though I believe Honda is sending engineers with the spirit of an 'A-team'). However, for Tsunoda, there must be a special feeling in being able to race against a 'hero' he used to watch on F1 broadcasts as a child. Since the machines are evenly matched, battling 'Alonso'—a literal 'formidable foe' who has the skill to drive even a slow car to its limits—will surely contribute greatly to his own growth and reputation. He might feel a fair amount of awe toward his senior, but I hope he uses his natural tenacity to go for it without getting intimidated.
By the way, at the recent Azerbaijan GP, Sebastian Vettel of Aston Martin was also close on the grid, and starting from the same position as Alonso and Vettel must have been nerve-wracking. Vettel was in great form and made it to the podium, so he was on another level, but Alonso showed his 'race craft' by passing others in the final super-sprint race. It must have been a frustrating result for Tsunoda, but I think he put up a good fight against a World Champion. (Of course, winning would have been overwhelmingly better, but) since he lost gracefully to a skilled veteran, I hope this serves as a great lesson and motivation for the next race.
By the way, it seems he also battles with Kimi Raikkonen of Alfa Romeo quite often, and we've even seen some of those 'mischievous' tricks during battles that are typical of the recent Raikkonen... (laughs) As an aside, Raikkonen has become much more cheerful, or rather, he's become a nice 'middle-aged guy' in a good way. He's become a father, and in a sense, he has overcome and accepted the pressure that came with 'title fights' in his younger days. Back in his Ferrari era, he even invited a young fan who was crying over his retirement to the pit to cheer him up... Above all, it's truly amazing that he is still active... Wow, he's already 42 years old... Alonso is also 40 this year, I believe... In IndyCar, Takuma Sato is 45, and this year's winner Helio (and his best friend Kanaan) are actually 46... These middle-aged guys are incredible (surprised).
By the way, the Azerbaijan GP was interesting with its rare upset! I was truly disappointed by Max (Verstappen)'s crash, but I was also quite surprised by (Lewis) Hamilton's unexpected mistake, and the comeback story of Perez, who was once rumored to be losing his seat... it's truly amazing. I was also really happy to see Gasly on the podium, and it felt like a long time since I last saw Vettel so excited...
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