Brawn hails Tsunoda as "F1's best rookie for years"
Formula 1 sporting director Ross Brawn has praised AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda for his impressive debut in Bahrain, claiming the Japanese youngster is the "best rookie F1 has had for years".
Red Bull and Honda protege Tsunoda was promoted to AlphaTauri at the expense of Daniil Kvyat after a sole season in Formula 2 and immediately impressed by scoring points on his Bahrain F1 debut.
Tsunoda only started 13th on the grid after struggling to put a good lap together in Q2, but then produced a combative display which saw him duel with two-time world champion Fernando Alonso before nicking ninth place from Lance Stroll on the final lap of the race.
F1 chief Brawn believes promoting Tsunoda was an inspired decision by Red Bull and called the 20-year-old the best rookie Formula 1 has seen in years.
"I'm really impressed with Yuki Tsunoda. I met him at the weekend for the first time and he's a really impressive character," Brawn wrote in his Bahrain GP debrief.
"He is quite amusing and his language in the car can be a bit fruity. He showed some brilliant spells in the race, which is encouraging considering it was his first F1 race.
"He is the best rookie F1 has had for years, having been fairly stunning in whatever series he has competed in. His promotion by Red Bull looks like a brilliant move."
Brawn hopes Tsunoda, who continues the tradition of exciting Japanese F1 drivers like Takuma Sato and Kamui Kobayashi, can provide a boost for the returning Japanese Grand Prix.
"We can all remember the glorious days of full grandstands at Suzuka and the passion of the Japanese fans," said Brawn. "I think we are going to have that again, which is incredibly exciting."
Brawn added he left Bahrain "feeling optimistic" about how the 2021 season will unfold after witnessing a tense battle for the win between Mercedes world champion Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.
"The rule changes over the winter appear to have closed the field up," the former technical director and team boss explained.
"With teams set to focus fairly soon on next year's car, it may be that nobody pulls away to any degree and we have an epic season in front of us."
Related video
How the 'Great F1 Rake-Off' delivered a Bahrain GP showdown
Verstappen: Red Bull didn't have flexibility it needed on tyres
The line Verstappen finally crossed in F1's first Jeddah race
OPINION: Max Verstappen has made the 2021 Formula 1 championship. He’s taken the fight to the all-conquering Mercedes squad and its dominant champion, produced driving displays few can match. But he’s been on a controversial course too, and finally crossed a particular line in Jeddah
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Driver Ratings
An ill-tempered Saudi Grand Prix made Formula 1 more soap opera than sporting spectacle at times, but there were some strong performances up and down the field on the world championship's first visit to Jeddah
How the Jeddah F1 race became a one-sitting Netflix drama series
The inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was a race packed full of incident as Formula 1 2021's title contenders repeatedly clashed on track. Lewis Hamilton won out over Max Verstappen to level the scores heading into next weekend's Abu Dhabi finale, as Jeddah turned F1 into a drama series
The impressive attitude that earned Albon his second F1 chance
Dropped by Red Bull last season, Alexander Albon has fought back into a Formula 1 seat with Williams. ALEX KALINAUCKAS explains what Albon has done to earn the place soon to be vacated by the highly rated George Russell
The factors that could negate Red Bull's practice gap to Mercedes
Mercedes led the way in practice for Formula 1’s first race in Jeddah, where Red Bull was off the pace on both single-lap and long runs. But, if Max Verstappen can reverse the results on Saturday, factors familiar in motorsport’s main electric single-seater category could be decisive in another close battle with Lewis Hamilton...
Why Norris doesn’t expect Mr Nice Guy praise for much longer
Earning praise from rivals has been a welcome sign that Lando Norris is becoming established among Formula 1's elite. But the McLaren driver is confident that his team's upward curve can put him in the mix to contend for titles in the future, when he's hoping the compliments will be replaced by being deemed an equal adversary
What Ferrari still needs to improve to return to F1 title contention
After a disastrous 2020 in which it slumped to sixth in the F1 constructors' standings, Ferrari has rebounded strongly and is on course to finish third - despite regulations that forced it to carryover much of its forgettable SF1000 machine. Yet while it can be pleased with its improvement, there are still steps it must make if 2022 is to yield a return to winning ways
How F1 teams and personnel react in pressurised situations
OPINION: The pressure is firmly on Red Bull and Mercedes as Formula 1 2021 embarks on its final double-header. How the respective teams deal with that will be a crucial factor in deciding the outcome of the drivers' and constructors' championships, as Motorsport.com's technical consultant and ex-McLaren F1 engineer Tim Wright explains.