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WATCH: Yuki Tsunoda Hilariously References Height Struggles During Bahrain GP

Published 03/26/2021, 7:42 AM EDT

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via Reuters

Yuki Tsunoda is the shortest ever (1.59m) Formula 1 driver in the 71-year-old history of the sport. He is making his debut with AlphaTauri in Bahrain this weekend. The Japanese driver has embraced his height, or the lack of it, and has been making hilarious jokes about it.

As the 2021 season kicks off this weekend, the drivers were being interviewed about the season and their goals. Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda made another hilarious joke about his height.

The reporters were waiting for the AlphaTauri driver, and Tsunoda made a comment as soon as he arrived that had the reporters laughing. He asked for a second, lowered his mic, and said, “My routine always.”

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The first joke relating to his height was after the launch of AlphaTauri’s 2021 challenger. Formula 1 uploaded a picture of Tsunoda in the new car and asked, “In 2021, @yukitsunoda07 will___”. Yuki was quick to reply and said, “Grow”.

Yuki Tsunoda had to adjust the car for his short frame, states Yuki Tsunoda

The Japanese driver first drove the new AT02 at Imola pre-season before impressing everyone in the pre-season testing. However, he recently explained in an interview that he had to go an extra step to ensure he gets to drive the car.

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“First, I have to put a lot of foam inside the monocoque to make my seat position higher to see the view clearly. And also, we made a quite special pedal case [for me] to reach the pedals,” explained the Alpha Tauri driver.

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Tsunoda believes that his short stature does not provide an advantage in weight distribution. He said, “We had a lot of work, we put quite a lot of efforts to make the perfect seat, so for me, it isn’t much of a big advantage.”

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The Japanese driver has been winning several hearts on social media. He also impressed the Formula 1 community through his driving skills at the pre-season testing when he battled Verstappen to top the timesheets.

Do you believe he will continue to impress through the season and be the Rookie of the Year?

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Written by:

Ayush Manjunath

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Ayush Manjunath is a Formula 1 author for EssentiallySports with more than 500 articles to his name. A Law graduate and a current Sports Management student, Ayush also has a certificate from UCLA on Sports, Media and Entertainment Management. He has an undying love for motorsports and lives to see Max Verstappen, George Russell, Charles Leclerc, and Lando Norris battle for the championship one day!
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