Tag: Yuki Tsunoda

AlphaTauri retains Tsunoda and Ricciardo for 2024, Lawson reserve

Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo will be AlphaTauri’s lineup in 2024, leaving no full-time race seat for Liam Lawson. The New Zealander has impressed as a stand-in for the injured Ricciardo since the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort, but on Saturday …

Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo will be AlphaTauri’s lineup in 2024, leaving no full-time race seat for Liam Lawson.

The New Zealander has impressed as a stand-in for the injured Ricciardo since the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort, but on Saturday morning in Japan it was confirmed by AlphaTauri that Ricciardo will be in the seat in 2024, with Tsunoda also retained. It means a fourth consecutive season for the Japanese driver who has shown strong improvement over the past 12 months.

“I’m so happy to announce that I will be staying with Scuderia AlphaTauri for the 2024 Formula 1 season,” Tsunoda said. “I’m looking forward to continuing to fight and collaborate with the team and Daniel.

“Obviously I’ll push as much as possible for the rest of the season and beyond, to progress as a driver. I’m grateful for Red Bull and Honda, for continuing to support and believe in me, and very happy and thankful to continue the partnership.”

For Ricciardo it’s a show of faith after two encouraging performances prior to his Zandvoort crash, with the Australian currently targeting a return from a broken metacarpal at either the next race in Qatar or in Austin two weeks later.

“I’m stoked to be driving with Yuki again next year and continuing the journey with Scuderia AlphaTauri,” Ricciardo said. “Following the progress we have already made and the plans for the future, it’s an exciting time for the team. We are building and it is a great feeling. There is a lot of work to do, but we are heading in the right direction and there is a lot to look forward to. Bring on 2024!”

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Outgoing AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost believes the combination of Tsunoda and Ricciardo mixes experience with performance that provides the team with a formidable lineup.

“Next year, the technical regulations remain largely unchanged, and it was therefore logical to go for continuity in our driver lineup too,” Tost said. “I am very pleased with the development that Yuki has shown over the last two and a half years with our team, and with Daniel’s great race-winning experience we will have one of the most competitive driver pairings on the grid in 2024.

“Peter (Bayer, CEO) and Laurent (Mekies, new team principal) will have a great duo to start the new season in the right direction. As for Liam, who has impressed everyone in his races so far, he will definitely help the team in his development role as a third driver, and I’m sure he will have a future in Formula 1 soon.”

With Lawson missing out on a race seat despite scoring two points in Singapore on just his third start for the team, Bayer admits picking between the drivers was a good problem for Red Bull and AlphaTauri to have.

“We are in a privileged position, where we have access to multiple great talents from the Red Bull world,” Bayer said. “This is a credit to the work that Dr. Marko has been doing for many years. Both Daniel and Yuki have not just shown fantastic race craft but are also great global ambassadors for our team and our sport. Liam put himself in the spotlight of F1 in only three races and I am very happy that we can continue to prepare him for his future.”

Ricciardo feeling ‘set to attack’ in second half of F1 season

Daniel Ricciardo says he is ready to attack the second part of the Formula 1 season after using the summer break to “feel the way I want to feel” following his recent return with AlphaTauri. Nyck de Vries was dropped after the British Grand Prix, …

Daniel Ricciardo says he is ready to attack the second part of the Formula 1 season after using the summer break to “feel the way I want to feel” following his recent return with AlphaTauri.

Nyck de Vries was dropped after the British Grand Prix, with Red Bull offering Ricciardo a route back onto the grid having taken up a reserve driver role after leaving McLaren. With the races in Hungary and Belgium under his belt before the summer shutdown, Ricciardo says he’s used the past few weeks to get himself into a position where he’s physically prepared for the rest of the year.

“I’m very excited about racing at Zandvoort, mainly to get the second half of the season going,” Ricciardo said. “I only got to do the two races before the break, so even if I enjoyed a bit of time off, I spent most of the past few weeks training and enjoying the chance to keep building up my fitness, to be all set to attack the second half of the season.

“I’ve really enjoyed being back, and the two races with the team have been awesome. Now, I’m very hungry and motivated and feel the way I want to feel. That’s why I’m looking forward to kicking off in Zandvoort, which is a very fast track with an awesome atmosphere.”

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While Ricciardo impressed upon his return, his teammate Yuki Tsunoda once again delivered an eye-catching result with points in the final race before the break, although the Japanese driver is wary of expecting a repeat in Zandvoort.

“I was happy with how the first part of the season ended in Belgium, as it had been a long time since we scored any points,” Tsunoda said. “It meant I could go into the summer break in a positive mood, and I’m carrying that motivation as we start the second half of the season this weekend.

“I also fitted in some time in the simulator earlier this week to prepare for the next two races. We’ve had two races in Zandvoort in the past, and I even made it to Q3 last year, but I’ve never finished, so that’s something I want to put right this weekend.

“I like the track because it’s technical with some unique features, such as the steeply banked corners and the mix of slow and fast turns. It’s physically quite demanding.

“I’m not sure how we will perform here because even if Spa went well, much of that was down to the specific nature of the track and even the weather, while Zandvoort is very different — a medium- to high-downforce circuit — but hopefully we can have another good race there. Because the track is very narrow, our main focus will be on qualifying well, which is something we have struggled with a bit so far this season.”

Tsunoda says de Vries deserved more time in F1

Yuki Tsunoda believes former AlphaTauri teammate Nyck de Vries deserved at least two more races to prove himself before losing his seat. De Vries was dropped from the team after only 10 grands prix to make way for the returning Daniel Ricciardo, who …

Yuki Tsunoda believes former AlphaTauri teammate Nyck de Vries deserved at least two more races to prove himself before losing his seat.

De Vries was dropped from the team after only 10 grands prix to make way for the returning Daniel Ricciardo, who will line up in Faenza colors at this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

Red Bull management had expressed disappointment that de Vries hadn’t been more competitive from the outset given his credentials as a Formula E and Formula 2 champion. Whispers had swirled for weeks that the Dutchman was set to be cut from the team, but Tsunoda said he was shocked that it came so suddenly, with two races still to run before the midseason break.

“There were rumors already,” he said. “I was not really surprised, but still surprised, when I heard. It was quick.

“Just 10 races, especially [at a] couple of tracks he didn’t know — I think he was doing a pretty good job. I can tell from the lap time and how he behaved and everything, he was gradually building up his confidence.

“I know what Red Bull’s side is saying, but at the same time, yeah, I think he deserved at least until the summer break.”

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The Japanese third-year driver has had to take a step forward in performance and consistency this season to see off de Vries so quickly, but he paid credit to his former teammate for adding a deeper level of detail to the way he approaches feedback and development.

“Feedback after the session, to the team, how the car behaves — he’s really specific,” he said. “I’ve never seen like that [from a] driver. I remember how the car behaves but, for example … [he] says the limitations but suggests the options to solve those issues also for the future development,

“What I got impressed by most was [in] last year’s Abu Dhabi test — first time he drove the car — he described how the front wing behaves through the corner, and he was saying almost spot on in entry how much the front wing deflects, through the corner, and that deflection made our car [behave in a certain way]. He kind of gets what the front wing does, and it was spot on. Good feedback, probably he’s like Niki Lauda!

“I can tell why he had such a successful result in the past, which was probably a bit of limitation for me that I have to go a step forward [in]. Nyck was a good example and reference of what I have to do.”

On the other hand, Tsunoda said he was confident that an unchanged approach could successfully deal with new teammate Ricciardo despite the Australian’s more formidable reputation.

“It’s a challenge always,” he said. “In the end it doesn’t make much difference. Daniel or Nyck, whatever. You need to beat your teammate, that’s the most important thing. Daniel is not an easy driver to beat, but at the same time I’ll do what I’m doing the last couple of races.

“I think it’s positive. Nyck came as a rookie and everyone expected me to be at least beating him. That’s the normal thing. If I beat [Ricciardo], everyone starts to recognize more than [from] a couple of previous races.”

Tsunoda eager to benefit from Ricciardo arrival

Yuki Tsunoda believes he will benefit from the arrival of Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri. Ricciardo will make his first start since replacing de Vries this weekend at the Hungarian Grand Prix, marking a remarkable return to the team he last raced …

Yuki Tsunoda believes he will benefit from the arrival of Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri.

Ricciardo will make his first start since replacing de Vries this weekend at the Hungarian Grand Prix, marking a remarkable return to the team he last raced for in 2013. Tsunoda has scored both of AlphaTauri’s points so far this year in a difficult car and has impressed with his progress in his third season in Formula 1, but the Japanese driver says he can learn from the experienced Ricciardo.

“I’m looking forward to working with Daniel,” Tsunoda said. “I can’t say I know him very well, but we had a fun day filming together earlier this year in Miami. I think I’ll benefit from having a very good, experienced driver as a teammate. I’m sure I can learn lots of things from him and I also expect he will be able to bring something to the team and move the car development forward.

“I would also like to say that I had an enjoyable time over the past 10 races with Nyck [de Vries]. I learned from him, and we also had a good time away from the track. He had plenty of experience in other categories and gave the team good feedback based on his knowledge. He had the pace and, as a friend, I enjoyed my time with him.”

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Whoever is driving an AlphaTauri normally has a lot of cars ahead of them in the races, although Tsunoda reckons the Hungaroring is one of the better chances for the team to shine. Jake Grant/Motorsport Images

The struggles that AlphaTauri has faced so far this season adds another aspect to the question of how Ricciardo will fare in his return to Formula 1, but Tsunoda believes the Hungaroring will be a better venue for its car than recent circuits.

“For this weekend, we have more upgrades for the race in Hungary, on top of those we brought to the last race,” he noted. “Budapest has completely different track characteristics compared to the past two races, and its slow-speed corners should suit our car better than the high-speed ones.

“I like the track — it’s technical, challenging and good fun. I have nice memories from my first F1 race there in 2021 as it was very chaotic and I finished sixth, after starting 16th! I’m optimistic — I always treat every race as a new opportunity where anything can happen. As a team, we’re very motivated to go forward and develop the car as much as possible.

“In my mind, I’ve had a complete reset from the last few races, especially Silverstone, and I’m in a positive frame of mind.”

Tsunoda slams ‘ridiculous’ Spanish GP penalty

Yuki Tsunoda believes his penalty in the Spanish Grand Prix was “ridiculous” and “really unfair” after losing out on points for forcing Zhou Guanyu off track, Zhou had tried to overtake Tsunoda around the outside of Turn 1 with 12 laps remaining but …

Yuki Tsunoda believes his penalty in the Spanish Grand Prix was “ridiculous” and “really unfair” after losing out on points for forcing Zhou Guanyu off track,

Zhou had tried to overtake Tsunoda around the outside of Turn 1 with 12 laps remaining but the AlphaTauri driver held on, with Zhou taking to the escape road and protesting he had been forced off. The stewards investigated the incident and handed Tsunoda a five-second time penalty that demoted him from ninth at the checkered flag to 12th, stating that “Car 24 was in front at and after the apex of Turn 1 and hence under the Driving Standards Guidelines was entitled to racing room”.

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In response, Tsunoda said: “It was a ridiculous penalty and it feels really unfair. That’s it.

“I left him room and I feel like he just gave it up in the early stages and went outside. He got caught out and there was still space outside there. I gave pressure but there was still space. I understand why it was a penalty but it feels very harsh.”

Tsunoda himself felt he was also wronged because he wasn’t given the opportunity to argue his case despite the incident occurring late in the race, even though stewards attempt to decide on racing incidents without driver input.

“I didn’t hear those things and I only heard after the checkered flag. I was really happy but after the radio … I was a bit curious if the team actually fight back to not get a penalty. But anyway, I guess they did. But it’s good to have a bit of discussion with the FIA because they gave five seconds without any discussion and then the race is over. It feels unfair.”

From Zhou’s point of view, the Alfa Romeo driver felt he had to take evasive action or the pair would have collided.

“At the end, I knew I had the pace to take Yuki,” Zhou said. “I had DRS, I was half a car ahead going into the corner, but I wasn’t given any space and didn’t have any other choice than to take the escape route to avoid contact.”

Tsunoda helping with clean-up as de Vries gets aid from McLaren amid floods

Yuki Tsunoda has been out on the streets of Faenza clearing debris and mud, while his AlphaTauri teammate Nyck de Vries was helped out by McLaren team members when he got stranded by floods. AlphaTauri’s home town has been heavily hit by the …

Yuki Tsunoda has been out on the streets of Faenza clearing debris and mud, while his AlphaTauri teammate Nyck de Vries was helped out by McLaren team members when he got stranded by floods.

AlphaTauri’s home town has been heavily hit by the flooding that led to the cancellation of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, with some team members needing to evacuate their homes on Tuesday night and sleep at the factory. As the water levels start to subside, huge amounts of damage is being left behind and Tsunoda has been shoveling mud off the streets alongside other team members and residents.

That comes after de Vries described how he was one of those stuck due to the floods on Tuesday night, leading to McLaren helping him secure a place to sleep.

“Tuesday evening, 11:30pm, (I was) on my way to Faenza ahead of a marketing day at the SAT factory on Wednesday,” de Vries related. “It’s raining intense, Faenza is already flooded and I am unable to get to my hotel. Returning to the highway is no option either. Stuck in a little village with one fully booked hotel.

“Fortunately, McLaren got stranded there earlier and their front jack Frazer was kind enough to give me his room. The following morning, the hotel lobby turned into an emergency shelter for people who were forced to escape their homes during the night.

“Post-F1 announcement, I only saw one potential option to get home, which was driving via Firenze. After an adventurous drive through the mountains, thanks to the help from local people and authorities in different villages, I finally got home safely.

“Thank you to every single person who has been kind enough to help me. It was truly heartwarming to see so many look out for each other. My thoughts are with those who continue to be affected by this tragedy. I’ll be back soon in Faenza to meet my team and the people from the region! Forza.”

The Imola circuit only permitted limited numbers of personnel to access the venue late on Thursday to start de-rigging and assessing any damage to equipment ahead of next weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix.

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AlphaTauri drivers rolling with the team’s changes

Yuki Tsunoda said news of Franz Tost’s intention to quit his team principal role at the end of the year surprised him despite long-running rumors of impending changes at AlphaTauri. AlphaTauri announced this week that Tost would be stepping down at …

Yuki Tsunoda said news of Franz Tost’s intention to quit his team principal role at the end of the year surprised him despite long-running rumors of impending changes at AlphaTauri.

AlphaTauri announced this week that Tost would be stepping down at the end of the season and would be replaced by current Ferrari racing and sporting director Laurent Mekies, while ex-FIA secretary general Peter Bayer would take over as team CEO.

Rumors of changes to Red Bull-backed team have been rife since the death of company founder CEO Dietrich Mateschitz late last year, with some speculating the team could be moved to the UK to cut costs or be sold completely. Instead it appears Red Bull is satisfied to have restructured the team’s management for the medium term.

Despite all of the speculation, Tsunoda said the news of changes still came as a shock to him when it eventually broke.

“I was really surprised he’s leaving,” he said. “I had lunch with him five days before the news or something like that, and he actually didn’t mention those things. At the same time there were already kind of rumors from the beginning of the season, so it actually came true that he’s stepping down.”

Tsunoda, who’s in his third year with AlphaTauri after making his F1 debut with the team in 2021, said he was focused on delivering Tost a fitting send-off with the remainder of the campaign.

“I’m feeling really appreciative of him, that he trusted my speed for the last three years and he was always supportive next to me, so I’m trying to make it up for him in the next races,” he said. “There are [20] races to go to make him happy. Hopefully we can end the season in a positive way for him.

“Obviously there’s still lots of development we need to do, but we have an aggressive plan to do it and I’m looking forward to it.”

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Tost is legendarily committed to his team and is a renowned workaholic, so much so that he’s reportedly a regular feature at the factory on Christmas Day and other holidays. Tsunoda’s teammate Nyck de Vries (pictured at right, above, with Tsunoda) paid tribute to Tost’s enthusiasm for the Faenza squad.

“He really lives for the team for his people and for the sport, he’s very passionate, and we all value that very much in Franz,” he said.. “We all really appreciate all the work he has done over the past 18 years — he joined in 2005, so a long time.

“I guess after 18 years there is always a beginning and an end to everything. Each time is defined in an era, and maybe a new era is about to start.”

The Dutchman added that he is looking forward to working with Mekies.

“Laurent and I know each other a little bit from the FIA,” he said. “He has a very good technical knowledge. He’s obviously being a race engineer himself, at FIA and then now sporting director at Ferrari — he will bring knowledge from his current employer, which is obviously interesting, and he has a very good technical understanding of the sport.

“I think what he will bring is very valuable assets to a team to hopefully become more competitive. He seems to have a broad understanding of the sport given the roles he’s been fulfilling. I welcome him very much and I would love to work together with him.”