With Daniel Ricciardo settling into his 2nd Grand Prix since his return to the sport, naturally, all eyes were on him. The only way the Honey Badger can make a realistic bid for that second Red Bull seat is by displacing the highly-rated Yuki Tsunoda. But things unraveled quite quickly for the Australian as his AlphaTauri teammate seemed to have the measure, and more of him during the majority of the weekend.

It all culminated with the young Japanese driver securing yet another points finish for the team at Spa, which to be honest is no less than a win for the Faenza-based outfit given how bad their car has been this year. And while Tsunoda was on his heroic drive, Ricciardo languished in the bottom half of the pack. Safe to say, Yuki Tsunoda has won the early battle between the two. But what makes him stand out against a tested veteran of this sport?

Yuki Tsunoda reveals the secret of his success

It’s no secret that the 23-year-old Japanese racing ace is one of the brightest stars of the future. Maybe even a world champion in the making within the Red Bull ecosystem. The majority of this boils down to his supreme talent and hard work. Yet, Tsunoda has one very special person to thank for the gains he’s made on track this year.

While speaking about the positive and constructive learnings he took from Pierre Gasly when he was teammates with him at AlphaTauri, Tsunoda told Will Buxton, “Without him, I wouldn’t have this performance.“

Gasly and Tsunoda got on really well. But how about the developing dynamic between the young Red Bull driver and Daniel Ricciardo?

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Tsunoda has nothing but respect for Daniel Ricciardo

It’s not an easy relationship to fake when two drivers are eyeing the same prize. For both, Tsunoda and Ricciardo, that coveted second seat at Red Bull is the goal. That being said, in the interim, Tsunoda seems to be reveling in the challenge of going up against the Honey Badger.

He continued, “He’s [Daniel Ricciardo] fast. So, he’s not an easy, obviously, driver to beat. But at the same time, we’re working really well together. Daniel adapts really, really good and definitely Daniel’s giving a positive energy and positive experience and knowledge to the team.”

Can Ricciardo manage to triumph over Tsunoda in just half a season with AlphaTauri?