Which duo of drivers at AlphaTauri in 2023?

AlphaTauri is one of those teams where anything is still possible for next year. There are a lot of possibilities for the Faenza-based team, the driver duo could completely change or remain exactly the same.

A departure of Gasly?

First hot topic for AlphaTauri, the case of Pierre Gasly. The Frenchman has never seemed so close to leaving at the end of the season, considering the current situation. However, it doesn’t solely depend on his willingness either. In order for Gasly to change teams, an opportunity would need to arise. This could come from Woking, as if McLaren decides to part ways with Daniel Ricciardo, a driver duo of Norris-Gasly would be a possibility.

As for the other offers, everything could depend on certain departures. If Sebastian Vettel chooses to leave Formula 1, a seat would become available at Aston Martin. The same goes for Mercedes, because even though it seems highly unlikely at the moment, what would be the choice of the German team if Lewis Hamilton decided to leave Formula 1 at the end of the season?

On his side, Helmut Marko sees no reason to look elsewhere for Pierre Gasly. « We have to see what happens after 2023. What are the alternatives for him? I don’t think that for now there is an alternative that would be significantly better than AlphaTauri. »

The case of Yuki Tsunoda.

After a difficult season last year for his debut in Formula 1, Yuki Tsunoda seems much more comfortable in 2022. Managing to compete with and even beat Pierre Gasly on certain circuits at the beginning of the season, the Japanese driver finally seems to be showing his potential behind the wheel of the AT03.

However, Tsunoda is not guaranteed to keep his seat for 2023. He is obliged to impress his team in order to have a chance of staying in Formula 1, at least with AlphaTauri. This is mainly due to many talented academy drivers, currently in Formula 2, pushing behind the 22-year-old Japanese driver.

Despite these departure rumors surrounding Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda, Helmut Marko recently stated that the duo of drivers could likely stay unchanged for 2023. We can probably assume that the current drivers will remain in their positions. This statement, in reality, means almost nothing, as we know that decisions are made quickly within the Red Bull camp.

Who will replace?

In the event of the departure of one or both of the regular drivers in 2022, what are the opportunities for AlphaTauri? What can be said in any case is that they are numerous.

The Red Bull team could first recall one of its drivers, who went on loan to Williams: Alex Albon. The Thai driver’s contract currently only extends until the end of 2022 with the Grove team. Christian Horner had also stated at the time of the transfer that Red Bull retained an option on him for 2023 if needed. Performing very well in the early part of the season, Albon seems to be a viable choice.

Then, we need to look at the young drivers from the Red Bull Academy in Formula 2. At the beginning of this season in the stepping stone to Formula 1, none of these drivers seems to stand out from the others. We are talking about Jüri Vips, Liam Lawson, Jehan Daruvala, Dennis Hauger, and Ayumu Iwasa.

In the perspective of a Formula 1 seat for 2023, the favorite could be Estonian driver Jüri Vips, who took part in a free practice session with Red Bull during the Spanish Grand Prix. Dennis Hauger and Ayumu Iwasa would probably need a second season in Formula 2, while Jehan Daruvala seems to lack the necessary skills and long-term viability for a place in Formula 1. That leaves us with New Zealand driver Liam Lawson, who participated in the young driver tests with the team in Abu Dhabi last December.

Helmut Marko also spoke about these young drivers. However, since the coronavirus is still present, it’s possible that the young drivers may have to step in. Of course, I hope that no one will be injured, but they will have to wait [for a full-time seat] for another year.

Once again, this statement should be taken with a grain of salt considering the unpredictable changes in Milton Keynes. In the meantime, anything can still happen. AlphaTauri will be one of those teams at the center of discussions throughout the transfer period starting from the summer break.