Yuki Tsunoda opens up on his relationship with Daniel Ricciardo

Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda has opened up on his relationship with the former F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo. In line with this, Tsunoda has deemed Ricciardo a 'mentor'.

Daniel Ricciardo first competed in the pinnacle of motorsport back in 2011 with HRT. From that point on, he went on to amass 257 race starts until the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix.

During his long tenure, he was able to put on board eight Grand Prix wins, 32 podiums, and three pole positions. Moreover, other than HRT, he also drove for Red Bull, Racing Bulls (Toro Rosso/AlphaTauri), McLaren, and the Enstone-based Renault F1 team (Alpine).

Yuki Tsunoda drove for Racing Bulls alongside Daniel Ricciardo last year. With the latter no longer competing in F1, Tsunoda recently took the time to cast light on his relationship with the Australian. In a conversation with Talking Bull, he added:

"No, teacher is wrong."

While agreeing on the term mentor, Tsunoda further added:

"Yes, mentor."

Away from the world of Formula 1, Daniel Ricciardo has become a global ambassador for Ford Racing. In the 2024 campaign, Ricciardo secured a P17 finish in the driver standings, having amassed only 12 points. Yuki Tsunoda, on his end, was able to put on board 30 points.

"Cutting the noise:" Pierre Gasly on Yuki Tsunoda's stint with Red Bull

F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan - Final Practice - Source: Getty

While Yuki Tsunoda has deemed Daniel Ricciardo a mentor, the former is fighting for his Formula 1 future in the 2025 season. The Japanese driver has yet to sign a contract extension with Red Bull for next year.

Tsunoda has been driving alongside Max Verstappen since round 3 of the ongoing campaign. He has mainly struggled in the RB21, and with only seven Grand Prix events remaining on the race calendar, Alpine's Pierre Gasly (who previously drove for Red Bull) has given his verdict on the former's situation.

"I mean, this is stuff that I talk with Yuki, obviously, very openly. We have a good relationship, and I think, ultimately, he needs to work out what’s the best way of focusing on the performance because, at the end of the day, the only thing that matters when you’re in a competitive sport is the performance you put out there."

"[You’ve] got to figure out the limitations you’re facing, what’s your best chances of displaying your skills in the best possible way. So I think that’s the main thing, cutting the noise."

"Obviously, there are always going to be a lot of talks, a lot of noise around. You need to find a way that it just doesn’t get to your head."

Yuki Tsunoda has been competing in the pinnacle of motorsport since 2021. He has so far amassed 111 points and is currently in 17th place in the 2025 drivers' standings.