![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/yuki-tsunoda-hit-in-eye-with-golf-ball-leaving-daniel-ricciardos-ex-coach-fearing-sack/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/0_Daniel-Ricciardo-Yuki-Tsunoda-main-AP.jpg&description=F1 star Tsunoda is working with Ricciardo's former performance coach Michael Italiano this year, in an arrangement which began long before the Aussie became his AlphaTauri team-mate Michael Italiano recalled fearing for his job after striking Yuki Tsunoda in the eye with a golf ball hours before the first race weekend of this Formula 1 season. The Australian performance coach is working with Tsunoda this year. But he is best known for being a close ally and long-time performance coach of Daniel Ricciardo. With the former McLaren man not on the grid at the start of this season, Italiano was hired by AlphaTauri to work with Tsunoda. As Ricciardo did not need such a strict training regime, it was an arrangement which suited all parties. But Italiano has admitted there was a moment on the eve of this season which left him worried he might get the sack. It happened on the morning of Friday practice ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, as he explained to the Pitstop Podcast. "This was the first time I actually thought I may lose my job, I felt fairly safe until this moment!" he said. "Pre-season went well, did testing in Italy, everything was looking really good, Yuki was super fit. We've come into Bahrain first race... Friday came around, I've texted him, was like, 'Cool. Let's do our mobility session'. "We've gone out and rolled the mats out and essentially I have a golf ball, and we use the golf ball to roll out the ball of our feet and just loosen up our feet. So he's rolling his feet and I've got the foam roller so I'm rolling out my back. And then what he's done is he's grabbed the golf ball, and he's just lobbed it onto my shin. "Obviously, it hurt. He's giggling because you know, good thing about me and Yuki, we banter each other quite a lot. So I let him go. And then he starts, he took the foam roller and start rolling his back. So I grabbed the golf ball, and then as I was walking to get the spiky ball, I just threw the golf ball. "I wasn't even looking, and I just){kind=link}
F1 star Tsunoda is working with Ricciardo’s former performance coach Michael Italiano this year, in an arrangement which began long before the Aussie became his AlphaTauri team-mate
Michael Italiano recalled fearing for his job after striking Yuki Tsunoda in the eye with a golf ball hours before the first race weekend of this Formula 1 season.
The Australian performance coach is working with Tsunoda this year. But he is best known for being a close ally and long-time performance coach of Daniel Ricciardo.
With the former McLaren man not on the grid at the start of this season, Italiano was hired by AlphaTauri to work with Tsunoda. As Ricciardo did not need such a strict training regime, it was an arrangement which suited all parties.
But Italiano has admitted there was a moment on the eve of this season which left him worried he might get the sack. It happened on the morning of Friday practice ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, as he explained to the Pitstop Podcast.