Hiyu Yamakoshi: My Ultimate Driver

Van Amersfoort Racing’s Hiyu Yamakoshi is the latest driver on the 2026 grid to take on the challenge of creating the perfect racing driver.

Combining all the elements that makes up a World Championship-calibre driver, the Japanese talent explains why calm has to be combined with the right level of aggression for his perfect racing driver.

QUALIFYING

“I think that's easy, very straightforward: Max Verstappen, of course, one of the best qualifying drivers in history. His speed in Suzuka last year, that was impressive.”

WET WEATHER ABILITY

“Max Verstappen again. He’s not just quick in Qualifying, even in the wet, he's always fast. Spa 2021 was super impressive too.”

INTELLIGENCE

“That’s quite a difficult for me you know? All the drivers are very smart, so I cannot say definitely this guy is the best guy, but I would say, Fernando Alonso or Sebastian Vettel.

“My favourite drivers are Fernando and Sebastian, so that's also the reason why, but they have experience, and they show that experience in the races.”

TYRE MANAGEMENT

“Oh, that's George Russell. Yeah, he's quite good with it. Spa where he did the one stop, even if he got disqualified, that was surprisingly good how he finished P1. The result was a bit unfortunate, but still, he managed to win with a one stop.”

SMOOTH DRIVING STYLE

“Lewis Hamilton.”

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AGGRESSIVE STYLE

“Max. How he manages the steering, how much adjustments he makes, for me, Max is a bit more aggressive. He looks aggressive from outside, Max is always really aggressive, especially Saudi Arabia 2021. Qualifying looked really smooth on the onboard, but the outside it was really aggressive.

“My driving style is more Lewis for me. I'm not going to say that Lewis is not better than Max, but Max for me is a bit on a different planet as a driver. He has his complete own driving style. That's also, I think, the reason why some of the drivers are really strong in Red Bull.”

OVERTAKING ABILITY

“Actually, I’ll choose Yuki Tsunoda for this one. His debut Formula 1 race in Bahrain 2021, that was a really nice race. He has really nice confidence in the braking, which I really like.”

ANYTHING ELSE?

“Kimi Raikkonen. Calm like ‘The Iceman’. Keep calm, never make any issues with the team. On the radio, especially these past two years or so, I think the behaviour of a driver is becoming a bigger thing on the radio. Not about what they’re saying, but trying to be calm in the moment.”

DREAM TEAM

“We'll start with Team Principal, I'm going to say Mr. Komatsu. He has been super impressive since taking over at Haas. The two drivers would be Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso, experienced and aggressive. And the car I would pick the 2027 Aston Martin. I’m sure it will be an exciting one.”