Tost denies Tsunoda was ever ‘out of control’

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Franz Tost has denied Yuki Tsunoda was ever “out of control” during his F1 debut season – a description used by the driver himself.

Tsunoda was highly touted to make a big impression in his rookie campaign after being fast-tracked to an AlphaTauri race seat with a series of promotions through the junior categories.

But after a promising start on his Bahrain bow, when he passed a trio of former World Champions to finish in the points, Tsunoda gained a reputation for being erratic due to a catalogue of crashes in practice and qualifying.

However, the 21-year-old from Japan ended 2021 on a high note with his best finish of fourth place in Abu Dhabi and is back for a second year alongside Pierre Gasly.

Told during an interview with Formula 1 that Tsunoda had referred to himself being “out of control” at times last season, Tost, the AlphaTauri team principal, insisted it had merely been a “normal” learning curve for a first-season driver – and that he had faced a difficult challenge up against Gasly, who was producing his best ever F1 form.

“I haven’t seen him out of control,” said Tost. “What happened with Yuki is normal in the first year with a