Scuderia AlphaTauri F1 team principal Franz Tost says Yuki Tsunoda has taken a “big step” ahead of the 2023 F1 season.
AlphaTauri’s signing of Nick de Vries following Pierre Gasly’s move to Alpine made Yuki Tsunoda a more experienced F1 driver within the team.
De Vries has a wealth of experience in motorsport, including time spent at Mercedes, but less in F1.
Before the start of the season, AlphaTauri said they expected more from third-year Yuki Tsunoda, who joined as a rookie in 2021.
Both Yuki Tsunoda and De Vries are out of contract this year and the Red Bull-backed young driver pool is lined with drivers eager to step up to prove themselves.
However, Franz Tost says that so far Yuki Tsunoda is doing well.
“Yuki has taken a big step forward,” said Franz Tost.
“Not only on the driving side, but also on the technical side.”
“His technical feedback was very good and also his race[in Bahrain]was competitive. I think he got the most out of the car.”
De Vries made his F1 debut with Williams at last year’s Italian Grand Prix, which was the catalyst for him to win a full-time drive.
While he’s still working on his F1 driver job, Franz Tost expects F2 and Formula E champion de Vries to improve as the season progresses.
“Nick is still learning,” says Franz Tost.
“What we have to offer our drivers is a fast car and they are there.”
“Both are highly skilled drivers who have proven in the past that they can win races and win championships, so it’s up to the team to give them a competitive car.”
“Nick will definitely step up. If you have a good car, it should be there.
“If you’re a young driver or new to Formula 1, it’s even more difficult when the car is having trouble.”
“It’s easy to put in a good performance in a competitive car and I’m sure Nick will put in a good performance and put in a good race.”
Category: F1 / Scuderia AlphaTauri / Hiroki Tsunoda
