Yuki Tsunoda thinks he is better than the Red Bull juniors in Formula 2 and can expect to drive Formula 1 in 2023 too, according to Helmut Marko
Yuki Tsunoda, overlooked by many observers, leads the intra-team duel at AlphaTauri by 11:6 points against Pierre Gasly after seven of 22 race weekends of the 2022 Formula 1 season. And even in the qualifying duel, the 22-year-old Japanese driver is at least not in a losing position with a fairly even 3:4.
“My performances are definitely better than last year, and more consistent,” Tsunoda enthuses. “If I had had the form I have now last year, completely different results would have been possible. But this experience that things haven’t always gone smoothly only makes me stronger. I’m very happy at the moment.”
An assessment that is by no means exclusive to him. The bosses at AlphaTauri in Faenza and at Red Bull in Graz have also noticed that Tsunoda has clearly improved.
No chance for juniors in Formula 2
This means Gasly, who has a contract until the end of 2023, should be kept. Tsunoda’s contract extended. And the promising Red Bull juniors Jehan Daruvala (currently 3rd in Formula 2), Jüri Vips (5th) and Liam Lawson (8th) “will all have to wait another year”. Because Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez are also already fixed in the A-Team Red Bull.
For outsiders, a Tsunoda move to Red Bull Racing for the 2023 season was never seriously an issue. But Tsunoda had speculated with it, “Of course, it doesn’t make me happy that ‘Checo’s’ contract has been extended. When two teams work together as closely as Red Bull and AlphaTauri, as a driver you clearly hope for a cockpit like that. “
Tsunoda feels comfortable at AlphaTauri
But: “I’m very happy at AlphaTauri, I get on well with the people here. We work great together. I’m getting more comfortable with communicating with the team and they are very friendly to me. We are all pulling together and developing the car. From that point of view, I haven’t given Red Bull any serious thought.”
Tsunoda is not worried about one of the Red Bull juniors challenging for his place at AlphaTauri in 2023: “There’s not much pressure from there, to be honest, I don’t think. I think I’ve done very well when I compare myself to some of the Formula 2 drivers in the current field,” he says confidently.
The fact that Tsunoda sometimes comes across as almost arrogant may also be due to the language barrier. Basically, he knows exactly the work assignment Marko has given him to keep his cockpit: “I haven’t heard much yet in terms of 2023. So I’m concentrating on what needs to be done, which is to score points as often as possible. “