Confirmation has come through on Saturday morning that Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo will form AlphaTauri’s line-up for the 2024 F1 season.
In spite of a very impressive first three weekends in Formula One, Liam Lawson’s full-time opportunity is likely to come in 2025 at the earliest.
Tsunoda made his debut at the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix as he impressed during his one and only season in Formula 2 three years ago.
His first campaign in the biggest Motorsport category was pretty close to a disaster. He struggled to get near teammate Pierre Gasly and made a number of errors during it as well. Tsunoda did end the season very positively, though, as he finished a superb P4 in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Since that rough and forgettable rookie campaign, he’s come on leaps and bounds. He reduced the gap massively to Gasly last year, losing out 9-13 in qualifying compared to 1-21 the year before.
A 78-point gap in the Drivers’ Championship in 2021 was slashed to 11 last year.
This year, he’s taken on the role of team leader. Although AlphaTauri have been struggling to score points this season, he blew away Nyck de Vries and it forced Red Bull to sack the Dutchman.
A point in Spa means he outscored Daniel Ricciardo so far when they have been teammates.
Shocking luck at Monza (DNS) and Singapore (taken out on lap one by Perez), combined with a bizarre strategy by his team at Zandvoort when running a very strong race in the points, has made it hard to read how he’s faring against Liam Lawson.
Next year is going to be critical for the Japanese driver as he looks to secure a long-term place on the grid, whether that is inside or outside the Red Bull family.
“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 Daniel Ricciardo, 2024 will represent an opportunity to stake his claim to return to Red Bull Racing for 2025. He had been drafted it as he impressed during a Pirelli tyre test, sealing the fate of Nyck de Vries in the process.
There had been already some promising signs from Ricciardo in his short spell with AlphaTauri before his unfortunate hand injury picked up in practice at Zandvoort.
The 8-time Grand Prix winner is determined to show he’s still got it after a very difficult spell at McLaren.
“I’m stoked to be driving with Yuki again next year and continuing the journey with Scuderia AlphaTauri. 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!”
Whoever comes out on top in the AlphaTauri battle next year is bound to have massive ramifications for the two squads owned and run by Red Bull.
Photo credit: Red Bull Content Pool
