The 2023 Formula One season is looking to be quite an important one for Alpha Tauri driver; Yuki Tsunoda, as he starts his third season in the motorsport series. And, after a difficult start to his F1 career, could this be the one season that makes or breaks the Japanese driver?
Tsunoda started karting in 2010 and has been associated with the Honda Formula Dream Project since 2016 before joining the Red Bull Junior Team for the 2018-2019 season and beyond. This coincided with Honda teaming up with the Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso - now Alpha Tauri F1 teams. And, after a 3rd place finish in the 2020 Formula 2 Championship, Tsunoda bagged himself a seat at the newly named Alpha Tauri F1 Team for the following year replacing departing driver; Daniil Kvyat. On his debut, Tsunoda scored points, finishing in ninth position at the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix. Ross Brawn, F1’s Technical Director, described the young driver from Japan as “F1’s best rookie for years.” Tsunoda went onto finish the season in 14th place. His teammate, Pierre Gasly, in 9th. Both drivers were retained by the team for 2022.
During 2022, Tsunoda went through a streak of twelve pointless races with numerous crashes, incidents and mechanical issues. After a disappointing season, Tsunoda finished towards the back of the championship in 17th place with only 12 points. Luckily for Yuki, the Alpha Tauri team was willing to give him another season - the one that I believe will make him or break him as an F1 driver.
But why do I think that? Well, it’s simple. Tsunoda is a Red Bull Junior and Red Bull are notoriously well-known for the pressure they put their drivers under. If they don't perform, they're out. Also, looking back, if past trends are to go by, the junior drivers get on average of two seasons at Alpha Tauri, or Toro Rosso - as it was once known, and, with Tsunoda entering his third; it’s crunch time.
One of the first obstacles Tsunoda is facing in 2023 is his new teammate; Nyck de Vries. De Vries is an older and seasoned racing driver with numerous championships, including Formula 2 and Formula E, under his belt. And, although Alpha Tauri’s appointment of de Vries may be exciting to F1 fans, Tsunoda may not be feeling quite the same. As the more experienced F1 driver, he is expected to beat de Vries and lead the team; something he demonstrated well at the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix when he finished just outside the points in 11th compared to de Vries' 14th place. However, is 11th good enough in Red Bull's eyes? I expect not.
And, it's not just de Vries that Tsunoda has to be better than. He has to be better than the other Red Bull Juniors, such as Liam Lawson, Dennis Hauger, Zane Maloney etc, that are waiting in the wings. And, with Alpha Tauri being Red Bull's younger sister team, there's only so much time that Tsunoda has to prove that he his more than a midfield driver. Something he'll need to do quickly if he's to stay, not just with the Red Bull family but, quite possible in F1 as a whole.
Another factor that Tsunoda needs to think about this year is his current contract which ends at the end of the 2023 season. If he wants to extend this or move to a different team, again he needs to prove what he is capable of. He needs to limit his crashes that plagued him in 2022, costing Alpha Tauri millions. He needs to be on par or faster than his teammate and he needs to become a consistent point scorer. It's the little things that people will notice.
The final obstacle is Honda. They helped Yuki get to where he is now and if they weren't working alongside Red Bull to produce this year's powertrain, I don't think I'd be overly confident to say he would be in F1 for 2023. Despite this, Honda and Red Bull plan on working side by side until 2025 but with the Japanese manufacture's departure imminent in the next couple of years, it may not be enough to save Tsunoda's career this time around. In short, Tsunoda needs to up his game majorly if he wants to stay in Formula One.
So, there we have it. It is indeed pretty much make or break for young Yuki this year and with a lot up against him, he HAS to perform and make the most out of what he can.
In my opinion, it would be such a shame to loose Tsunoda from the sport. He has proven time again that he is capable just not consistent and that is what he needs to work on. Am I confident he can turn it all around? Who knows. There's a very long season of Formula One out there waiting for us. Anything can happen.
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