Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda was inspired by 66-year-old AlphaTauri Formula One team boss Franz Tost’s fitness regime to abandon his Uber Eats and video game lifestyle for a healthier routine.
The 21-year-old Formula Two graduate, heading into this second F1 season, jokingly told website The Race this week that Tost was in much better shape than him.
“Because you guys don’t know how fit Franz is,” Tsunoda told reporters when asked how that could be the case.
“He’s running like 10km from 5.30AM which I’ve never done in my life.
“Also last year especially the beginning or the first half of the season I was taking pretty much everyday Uber Eats breakfast, lunch, dinner, and one hand on the game control and one hand just food.”
Tsunoda made a strong start to his rookie campaign last year, scoring points on his debut in Bahrain.
But he endured a dip in form before rebounding with a career-best fourth-placed finish in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Tsunoda, who last year relocated to Italy from England to be closer to the team’s Faenza base, said he had trained harder over the off season and could feel the difference.
“If a 60-year-old man can do it, I think I should do, especially I’m an athlete,” he said.
Tost said Tsunoda, like any other rookie, had simply been caught out by the physical demands of Formula One.
“Every driver feels then he is not fit enough.
“Of course, he had to do a lot of training during last year already and during the winter months.
“I think he caught up, I got a year older than him, that means now he is for sure in front of me,” said Tost.