Yuki Tsunoda believes his early setbacks in his Formula 1 career are to be expected and has emphasised that he is heading in the right direction.
Tsunoda surged to ninth place on his debut in Bahrain, prompting praise from onlookers, but has since failed to reach the top 10.
Tsunoda crashed heavily during qualifying at Imola, before spinning in the race, and went on to have low-key showings in Portugal and Spain.
He finished 16th in Monaco in a weekend where he crashed out of Thursday practice and dropped out of qualifying at the first hurdle.
“In general, after five races now, I am feeling more familiar with the race weekend, there are less surprises and I feel more in control,” said Tsunoda.
“I’ve got used to some of the things that surprised me earlier in the year, like all the media work at races on a Thursday.
“It was using up a lot of my energy but now I am more comfortable with everything which is a positive thing.
“The technical aspect is still quite challenging, especially as in the current situation I have been struggling a bit with the car set-up.
“I believe that is normal as I have only done five races, but the important thing is that I am learning a lot about the car.
“My mindset is fine, I’m in good shape and things are going in the right direction.
“There is still some pressure, but I am enjoying every minute of being a Formula 1 driver and there is always something new to deal with at every new track.”
AlphaTauri heads to this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix sixth in the championship, in the thick of a tight battle with Aston Martin and Alpine, one point ahead and behind respectively.
“I am pleased with the definite progress made by the team with the car since the beginning of the season,” he said.
“It’s true the results have not come together yet and I am on a steep learning curve.
“I spend as much time as possible talking with my engineers to learn more and I hope that will help me continue to make progress through the season.”
