AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost says rookie Yuki Tsunoda will only harness his "unbelievable speed" once he learns when he's on the limit.
The young Japanese driver has had an inconsistent run so far this season, impressing on his Grand Prix debut in Bahrain and then enduring a more difficult time, with crashes at Imola and in Monaco.
Tsunoda delivered a seventh-place finish in Baku however after a weekend in which he reined in his impetuosity and focused on performing more consistently.
The productive result followed the 21-year-old's move from Milton Keynes to Faenza where his daily regimen and preparations are supervised by AlphaTauri and Tost.
©AlphaTauri
"He has to learn or he has to recognize when he's on the limit," said the Austrian as he assessed his driver's development.
"If you are in the same tenth with other top drivers, then there's not so much space any more to be faster. And then you must recognize as a driver ‘I can't brake later’, ‘I can't push harder’, not in a way as he thought he can do it, because then you simply end into the tyre wall.
"But this is a kind of a learning process. And I must say that during [the Baku weekend] the team made already a big step forward in understanding the car, and also from the technical feedback side.
"Therefore, I'm quite positive that we will get him in the right way, because he has unbelievable natural speed."
Tsunoda's crashes this season have left AlphaTauri with a few hefty bills. But Tost says he would rather see a driver give it his all and step over the limit rather than play it safe and be too prudent.
"I like drivers who are pushing, I like drivers who are risking something," added Tost. "But of course, early or later, you must get it under control. And this is what we have to teach Yuki.
"But to be honest, I like this way more than to try to make someone faster. Slowing down a fast driver is easier than to speed up a slow driver."
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