Yuki Tsunoda must move to Italy at the request of his team
After a mixed start to the season, marked by numerous driving errors, Franz Tost and AlphaTauri have asked the young Japanese driver to move to Italy in order to coach him.
Supported by Red Bull since 2019, the Japanese driver has experienced a meteoric rise in single-seaters. Impressive in the junior categories, he accessed Formula 1 in 2021 thanks to Honda’s support. However, despite a magnificent 9th position in the opening Grand Prix in Bahrain, the AlphaTauri driver has made multiple driving mistakes and has not managed to get back into the points since.
His repeated accidents, especially in Q1 at Imola and in FP2 at Monaco, as well as his poor results, tend to irritate the head of the young driver program at Red Bull Racing: Helmut Marko.
Attempting to overtake Hamilton in the wet at Imola was bold, and of course, it ended badly. This spin put him out of the points. The mistake in Q1 was insolence. In Monaco, he was taught not to have an accident in FP1, FP2, or FP3. Unfortunately, it happened in FP2, in the famous Verstappen corner (exit of the Swimming Pool). Yuki had an accident at that spot, so he did not complete enough laps to achieve a better result in qualifying,” he declared in an interview with Formel1.de.
« It must be put back on the right track.
During this interview, Marko also stated that the Japanese driver will be moving closer to Faenza (the city where the AlphaTauri factory is located), in order to be coached by Franz Tost (AlphaTauri team principal). The latter will be tasked with overseeing and organizing the daily life of the 21-year-old driver, with a program that includes a lot of fitness training, karting, technical work at the factory, and data analysis.
According to Doctor Marko, Tsunoda’s accident at Imola, on a track that the Japanese driver knows very well, having driven there several times during testing sessions, has had an impact on his confidence behind the wheel. However, the Austrian does not lose confidence in his driver, and this move could then help address this issue: « Tsunoda’s evolution has certainly not been positive. With the mistakes that have occurred, it is clear that his self-confidence has also suffered. That is why he will move to Italy, where he will live under control and with a certain security. His potential is still there but now, he needs to be put back on the right track. »
