Tsunoda experienced a tough start to his 2021 maiden campaign marked by crashes and a lack of consistency, which prompted a mid-season change of approach and a move to Faenza to be closer to his Italian team.
The 23-year-old showed the necessary improvement to stay on board for 2022 but says that came at a cost as he opened up about the "contract stress" that made him suffer throughout last year while AlphaTauri's form took a downturn.
It took until late September for the Japanese driver to be confirmed for a third season with the team, which he now says had become a major distraction that sapped his enjoyment and impacted his performance.
"Obviously I was giving full effort, but when I look back, especially like the time [last year] when I didn't have a contract between Azerbaijan and Japan, for a long time I got distracted a lot," he revealed.
"At that moment I forgot to enjoy Formula 1. I just felt like I was driving for the team to get a contract, which shouldn't be like that.
"When I look back, when I was having good results in the first half of the season, I was actually enjoying the moment. This is what I felt is the most important thing.
"You don't want to think about it. I'm not driving for contracts, I'm driving to show my performances that are the best, because I'm in this position. I still believe I'm one of the best drivers and I want to show that and prove those things by results and by driving."
Source: Autosport