AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost had indicated for some time that the plan was still to keep Tsunoda alongside Pierre Gasly – whose confirmation was given in June – pending Red Bull’s approval.
Tsunoda said a few weeks ago that his future depended on “things in the background”, but he was happy with his performance even though this year’s results have been hard to come by. Tsunoda haven’t scored a point since Spain, although AlphaTauri as a whole found themselves struggling more in the crowded midfield than 12 months ago.
As it stands, an unchanged roster of Tsunoda and Gasly is locked away at AlphaTauri for next year, but that could still change. Alpine are known to have Gasly at the top of their shortlist to take their second seat, and Red Bull are happy to release him from their sister team – as long as they have a replacement lined up and ready to go.
Plans to draft Colton Herta from IndyCar had to be scrapped when the FIA refused to budge on its superlicense rules, appearing to mean Gasly would stay put. But after it emerged that Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko met Nyck de Vries last weekend, it’s clear options are still being explored to replace Gasly and allow him to move to Alpine.
Should Gasly leave, Tsunoda would be AlphaTauri’s experienced man and de facto crew chief heading into 2023 – an important role for a driver who often makes the news for his temperament and is clearly still in development. .
Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
It’s one that Tsunoda admitted he might struggle to accomplish the same way Gasly does in the beginning.
“I wouldn’t expect to be able to perform straight away or give the team a feedback straight away like Pierre,” he told Zandvoort.
“But currently I’m learning as much as possible from him. Still, there’s a lot of room I can learn from him. Currently we’re dealing with it the same way, just developing the car as much as possible, to have a more consistent pace throughout the race week.”
Tsunoda’s development has come a long way, especially since Red Bull moved him from the UK to Italy midway through last season to keep him closer to the team. It was such an important decision that it was even mentioned in AlphaTauri’s press release announcing it for 2023, noting its progress since then.
It has been a good working environment for Tsunoda. AlphaTauri is a small team without the pressure of a Red Bull or other top operation. He has a boss in Franz Tost who knows how to get the most out of your drivers. And in Gasly, he had a teammate who not only helped him improve his game, but also forged a friendly relationship off the track.
“He probably took Formula 1 a bit more seriously, which was the right approach,” Gasly told Autosport in an interview ahead of the summer break.
“From what he says, I had an impact on that side to show him the kind of dedication and commitment this sport required. This year we worked as a team, as the last year it was a little split, because he didn’t have much experience and was still new to the sport.
Yuki Tsunoda, Alpha Tauri AT03
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
“This year I think he has clear ideas and clearer feedback on what we really need to go faster, so we can work together to improve the package we have.”
It’s a progression that was also noted by AlphaTauri’s technical director, Jody Egginton. “More things click now that he understands things,” he said of Tsunoda. “He also forms better opinions about what he wants out of the car. And that takes time, with any driver.”
We’ve seen the flashes of what he can do in F1. His impressive debut in Bahrain last year and his late fourth place finish in Abu Dhabi may be notable, but his performances have taken a step forward into 2022, although that is not reflected in the points tally.
Imola is an under-the-radar weekend this year, but it has worked its way from 16th on the grid to seventh on a track where overtaking is very hard to come by. The points gap with Gasly has also decreased compared to last year. Gasly has 22 points to Tsunoda’s 11, but Yuki reckons the gap would be smaller without setbacks like in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan.
The big challenge for Tsunoda will be converting potential into the kind of skills that can help him lead a team if Gasly were to leave. He’s won fans around the world for his outspoken nature – as Gasly puts it, “everything that pops into his head comes out of his mouth a tenth of a second later” – but taking the lead from AlphaTauri would be a key test. to see what the long term future may hold for him within the Red Bull setup.
Tost said in the press release confirming Tsunoda for 2023 that he believes it takes drivers three years to fully acclimate to life in F1. This will mean that next season Tsunoda has no excuse not to exploit the undeniable talent he possesses – potentially as a team leader at Faenza.
