Tsunoda: 'Great that Japanese fans could witness Verstappen title win'

Tsunoda had a difficult race in which he did not get beyond 13th place, while he was hoping more than ever for a points finish. The Japanese driver admits to being disappointed, but thinks there was no more in his home race. "I think that I did the best I could and extracted the most from the car, but the pace just wasn’t there," he said in conversation with Formula1.com.

Tsunoda happy for Verstappen and Japanese fans

Still, the AlphaTauri driver enjoyed the race weekend in his home country, where he had not had the chance to drive a Formula One race since his debut in 2021. "The whole weekend here has been so exciting still. I’ve really enjoyed my first experience of driving an F1 car round my home track and I want to say a huge thank you to all the fans that have come out to support both myself and the team, especially in these rainy conditions."

Another positive he sees in Verstappen's second world title, who took the championship to himself in the home country of engine supplier Honda. "Big congrats to Max for winning the World Championship – it’s great that the Japanese fans have been able to witness that here!," Tsunoda concluded.