F1’s Yuki Tsunoda Opens Up About Working With Psychologist on His Temper

Yuki Tsunoda said Thursday that it will take time to see the benefits of him working with a new psychologist but that it is not the first time he has done so. 

“I was already working with the other psychologist/trainer from Formula Two,” the AlphaTauri driver said. “…I was really happy working with him and also he was part of the reason [I was] able to step up to Formula One. He should be able to help me to develop my performance in Formula Two, consistency. Yeah. I will say they hired a new psychologist/trainer from, I will say, four races before. I don’t know [if] currently it’s working well or not.”

Tsunoda rose through the ranks via Red Bull’s driver development program, joining sister team AlphaTauri last year. He was moved by Red Bull to Faenza, Italy for a more disciplined lifestyle, something fans saw last season on Netflix’s Formula 1: Drive to Survive.  

Red Bull Formula One advisor Helmut Marko said in an interview with Servus TV earlier this week that the team hired a psychologist to work with the AlphaTauri driver on his temper. He’s known for having an aggressive approach to the sport, both in terms of driving and how he talks on the radio. 

“We have organized a kind of psychologist to work with him, because he continued to rant in the corners, so that inhibits performance,” Marko said. “...We should keep our emotions in check. Thank God Max [Verstappen] is calm, our problem child in this respect, not only in this respect, is Tsunoda. He explodes on the radio, you wouldn’t believe it.”

Last weekend, he was involved in a crash with teammate Pierre Gasly. The two collided, and Tsunoda was fuming over the team radio. He received penalties for causing the wreck, and Gasly was forced to retire with rear wing damage later in the race. 

Debris from that incident also was lodged under the bottom of Verstappen’s car, resulting in a loss of performance as the Dutchman finished seventh.

The AlphaTauri driver said Thursday, “If it’s working well I think maybe I didn’t have the crash but I have to take a bit more time because he has to understand more about myself, and also we have to understand what direction we have to take.”

“I think definitely one of the limitations is that I start to get quite overheated… overheated, especially my brain, in the car. But I was in some situation that makes it slightly better. But I know that I have to improve myself, those parts, to have more consistency. So hopefully the new trainer will work well and we can work well for the future.”

Verstappen was asked in a follow-up question whether he had ever worked with a psychologist, which he has not. He said, in part, “I still sometimes get a bit upset on the radio. I don’t think it influences my performance but it’s more about if things don’t go well, if something is badly executed or I have a problem. And I think if the day comes that I’m not going to be upset about these things anymore, then I’m not interested in the sport anymore.”