For the first 10 rounds of the season, attention at AlphaTauri was biased towards full-time rookie Nyck de Vries and his struggles to step up to F1 as he drew criticism from Red Bull bosses Christian Horner and Helmut Marko.
The FIA Formula 2 and Formula E champion was sacked after Silverstone to be replaced by eight-time grand prix winner Ricciardo. The Australian generated such media interest upon his Hungary return that he reckoned it felt like “I had just won a world championship”.
Tsunoda said it was therefore “challenging” when asked by Autosport if he felt as though he had flown under the radar.
However, he added that the experience of battling with Ricciardo meant he was learning a lot - even if the ex-McLaren, Renault and Red Bull driver’s return had heightened the pressure to lead to a couple of mistakes.
He said: “It's challenging. But at the same time, I know that this current situation is completely new for me.
“I'm learning a lot, especially getting challenged by an experienced driver. And not only is he an experienced driver, he’s a top driver and we know that he's fast.”
Tsunoda reckoned Ricciardo’s behaviour in the team was almost “the opposite as me” but he was ready to square up to him in the second half of the campaign.
“I already know he is fast but also how he's behaving in the team is like probably the opposite as me,” said Tsunoda. “So, lots of things to learn, a lot from him.
Source: Autosport