ROOM TO GROW
When he was already a racing driver, Yuki Tsunoda attended a school in his native Sagamihara that years before had also hosted Ukyo Katayama, the man who up to this day still holds the record for most Formula 1 starts among Japanese drivers. It’s an amazing coincidence given that, before Tsunoda, F1 history included just 17 other racers from Japan, a country with a current population of 126 million people.
“And when I moved to a different high school, it was Takuma Sato’s old school,” a smiling Yuki reveals in a conversation with GP Racing. But then he admits right away that he only recently became aware of this fact - and, in fact, of who Katayama and Sato are at all.
It’s because Yuki Tsunoda was never an F1 fan – even though his father liked racing and even took part in local competitions.
“We went to a couple of F1 races,” recalls Yuki. “First time was in Fuji when I was like seven. I remember it was raining. And I didn’t like the sound. It was so noisy, I was covering my ears all the time. All I remember is that I really wanted to go back home as soon as possible.
“When I was young, I didn’t like just racing. I liked all sports. Football, skiing, snowboarding, American football, basketball, any sport. So it
