07/07/2022
NEWS STORY
Helmut Marko has revealed that Yuki Tsunoda is to work with a psychologist in a bid to temper his aggression.
While fans are entertained by his outbursts, which began almost from the moment he first stepped into an F1 car, his team is not quite as amused.
Despite flashes of brilliance all too often it ends in disaster, and while it is clear he has the talent to succeed, Helmut Marko, a man not known for his patience, is concerned at the lack of progress.
Only last weekend, he was involved in a clash with his teammate, Pierre Gasly causing the Frenchman to retire and thereby ending any hope of a points finish.
Earlier this year, Tsunoda admitted that last year, having slipped into a lifestyle of UberEats and video games, he had become lazy and as a result the team relocated him to Faenza where they could keep an eye on his training regimen amongst other things.
At the time, the Japanese youngster was shocked at his lack of training compared to his team boss, 66-yerar-old Franz Tost.
"He's running like, I don't know, 10km from 05:30, which I've never done in my life," he admitted. "That's how he's training every day, how much he's spending on training, I got really impressed. I don't know how old he is, like 60-years-old,, so I think I should do... especially as I'm an athlete.
"After I moved to Faenza, I tried to change my mind," he added. "Last year, I felt fitness was kind of a limitation."
While he might have sorted out his fitness, it is his aggression, which in turn leads to mistakes, that concerns Helmut Marko.
"We have organised a kind of psychologist to work with him," Marko revealed, while talking to ServusTV, "because he continued to rant through the corners, so that impacts his performance."
Hard to believe, but Marko wants the Japanese youngster to moderate his behaviour, like... er... Max Verstappen.
"We should keep our emotions in check," said the Austrian. "Thank God Max is calm, our problem child in this respect, not only in this respect, is Tsunoda. He explodes on the radio, you wouldn't believe it!"
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