Scuderia AlphaTauri F1 team Franz Tost believes signing American driver Colton Herta was an exciting marketing prospect for the team, but newcomer Nick de Vries and incumbent I am confident that I can make 2023 “successful” with Yuki Tsunoda.
Red Bull had been exploring a potential deal with Colton Herta to appoint the IndyCar star to replace Pierre Gasly before his move from AlphaTauri to the Alpine F1 team was confirmed.
Colton Herta rose to prominence in 2019 when he became the youngest winner in IndyCar history at the age of 18, and has since taken six more wins, but he needs more to make the step to F1. Don’t have 40 Super License points.
In the 2023 season, F1 is scheduled to be held in Miami, Austin, Las Vegas and three Grand Prix in the United States, and the appearance of American drivers means further growth. Alexander Rossi was the last American driver to drive in F1 in 2015.
Of the recent developments in the driver market, Tost said: “Of course we had some talks with Herta, but he didn’t have a superlicence, and the FIA said they wouldn’t give him a superlicence. At the time, it was clear he was no longer an option for AlphaTauri.”
“I think having an American driver with such a good name would have pushed us forward in the American market. It didn’t work out, so I looked for another option.”
AlphaTauri have secured the services of former F2 champion Nick de Vries, who made an impressive F1 race debut at the Italian Grand Prix. De Vries scored points for Williams on behalf of the unwell Alex Albon. Albon has been a Red Bull Racing driver in the past, so Red Bull has a good reference.
When AlphaTauri lost Pierre Gasly, the team’s most experienced driver over the winter, Franz Tost replaced Nick de Vries and Tsunoda, who did F1 free practice with Mercedes and Aston Martin. He expressed optimism that Yuki would step up and bond well as a teammate.
“The team’s guidance also depends on the car’s performance. If you have a good car, it’s easier for both drivers. Nick doesn’t have a lot of F1 experience and Yuki is still in the learning process, so the car has problems. If we do, I don’t think it will be so easy to solve everything,” commented Franz Tost.
“I think Yuki is mature enough to give technical guidance next year, but Nick has experience from races and championship-winning racing categories, so expect a lot from him. So if the car works well, I think we can be successful.”
Category: F1 / Alpha Tauri / Colton Herta
