Tsunoda: The technical aspect of F1 is still quite challenging

After a strong first impression in Bahrain, the Japanese rookie has struggled by comparison with AlphaTauri teammate Pierre Gasly, amassing just two points from the opening five races.

The last race in Monaco was Tsunoda's first time in the Principality and this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix will also be a new experience for the 21-year-old.

"Baku will be another new experience for me and I should benefit from some lessons learned in Monaco, another street circuit," he said. "I really enjoyed my first time in Monaco, it was a fantastic experience and really fun up until that moment in FP2.

"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 and 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."

Tsunoda spent just one season in F2 before making the leap into F1 and he identified set-up as an area of difficulty so far this year.

"The technical aspect is still quite challenging, especially as in the current situation I have been struggling a bit with the car set-up," he added.

"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 mind set 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. In Monaco there was even the new experience of seeing fans and hearing them calling the names of the drivers, which felt really crazy."

While the Baku City Circuit offers more overtaking opportunities than Monaco, it shares similarities given its tight walls and low grip levels.

Looking ahead, Tsunoda said that he will look to take some of the lessons he learned in Monaco and apply them in Azerbaijan.

"This week is Baku, I have never raced there before but I have driven it on the simulator of course," he said.

"Most of the corners seem to be 90 degree turns and almost all the corners are taken in similar speed range so it will be interesting. It's another street circuit, but it looks as though it might be a little bit easier to adapt to than Monaco. Hopefully I will be in a better situation there. Again, I will try and do as many laps as possible and my main aim will be to make sure I don't get too close to the walls in practice and qualifying. I will take the Monaco experience and everything I learned there and apply it in Azerbaijan."