Tost’s frustration with Rookie Tsunoda’s apparent lack of commitment to training and preparation in 2021 is evident in the latest episode of the Drive to Survive series.
In the middle of the season, Kakuda moved from Milton Keynes, which was based for easy access to the Red Bull Simulator, to a new home near the Faenza factory in AlphaTauri.
Not only did he spend more time with the engineer, he once strengthened his fitness program in Italy.
Tsunoda joked in Bahrain last week. His first season took too long to order Uber Eats, and it wasn’t enough to follow the example of fitness enthusiast Tost, who runs every morning.
However, Tost argued that in 2021 Kakuda was not as ineligible as the Japanese youth suggested.
“I think Yuki meant everything a little ironically!” Tost said. “When a young driver comes to F1, he’s completely amazed at the power he’s facing in F1, such as applying force to his neck with his left hand.
“But Yuki was in good shape last year, otherwise he couldn’t finish in 9th place here in Bahrain. Of course, as all other young drivers are aware, he I realized that you had to do more physical training.
“Therefore, sitting in the car is important because the best training is sitting in the car.
“When I sit in the car, I feel where the pain is when I finish the race. Next, I can discuss how to change trainers, physiotherapists, and strength training to strengthen the muscles in the area of suffering. And as for Yuki, he came to Faenza and his trainer was with him.
“And he had to train twice a day in the morning and afternoon until it got very good. The training will improve his fitness, so I think this year’s Yuki is in very good shape. But once again, he wasn’t too bad last year. It’s the same as a newcomer to F1 and you can ask everyone else, it’s something new.
“It’s F1, these cars, they’re so fast. No one knows a driver who hasn’t suffered after the first race, or after the first run in an F1 car, because they’re so tough, and Yuki I trained a lot, and he’s in good shape, and I’m looking forward to seeing him in the car this season. “
Franz Tost, Team Principal AlphaTauri
Photo: Red Bull Content Pool
When asked if Kakuda had ever played in Tost, the Austrian joked that the driver wouldn’t be in time.
“My morning runs-Yuki doesn’t stand up at 5 o’clock to run with me. He looks at me and maybe he thinks I have a bird in my head!
“I don’t run with him. First, running isn’t his discipline because his legs are a bit short. And it doesn’t matter that he goes running with me at 5 in the morning.
“No, he has a coach. I talked a lot with his coach. Each Formula One driver also needs to be tested at the Red Bull in the fitness center, where you can see where the flaws are. These results are important. These are the basis for all athletes to develop further physically. All drivers are different. They are not all the same.
“Therefore, you had to create a personalized special training program and I didn’t train with Yuki. I told Yuki and the trainer to find the right way to improve performance and fitness. And this is what they did. “
