Yuki Tsunoda says leaving behind England's gloomy weather and food for a more dynamic and balanced life in Italy has left him feeling "more energetic" on race weekends.
Tsunoda's struggles during his early months in F1 with AlphaTauri at the start of 2021 eventually encouraged Red Bull to relocate its Japanese charger to Faenza, where he could embed with his team outside of race weekends and improve his adaptation.
A year and a half on from that move, Tsunoda admits that the decision was highly beneficial as, among other things, it placed him in an environment that simply improved his daily life.
©AlphaTauri
"It helped, especially to feel comfortable to live," Tsunoda told GP Fans.
"In F1, when you arrive at a track, there is a lot of stress going around, so it is important to be as comfortable as possible when you are away from the track and when you are in the house.
"In the UK, the atmosphere there was as much as I wanted. The weather especially impacted me. Weather is quite an important thing for me, and food as well.
"So when I went to Italy, I already felt more energetic, more than usual. Then I felt it was a big, important move and was having a good impact on me.
"From then, I started to have a good rhythm when I got to the track, focusing fully on my race."
From a daily regimen in the UK that consisted in staying inside his flat in Milton Keynes playing games on his PlayStation and eating food he didn't like, Tsunoda's days in Faenza provided him with a more balanced life in all aspects of his existence.
And that change had a direct impact on his on-track performance.
"Outside of racing, I was able to reset and rest myself," he said.
"I started to have a good balance and progress started to come from the second half of [the 2021] season.
"Of course, moving to Faenza and consistently talking to the factory and consistently talking with the engineers helps a lot to understand the car and also to build up the relationship with the team.
"I would say 50-50 for the team side and my side."
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