Yuki Tsunoda is aiming for points at Monza for AlphaTauri’s home race
After a difficult Dutch Grand Prix, the Japanese driver plans to bounce back in Italy by taking advantage of the specific characteristics of the Lombardy track.
Yuki Tsunoda’s season, and more broadly, AlphaTauri’s season, seems to be a long ordeal. With only three points in the constructors’ championship, all scored by the Japanese driver, the Italian team finds itself at the bottom of the standings with nine races still to go. A final last place finish would be a first for the Faenza-based team since it became AlphaTauri. We have to go back to the 2009 season to see the structure, formerly known as Toro Rosso, finish so far down in the championship.
To focus on its competitors, the team led by Franz Tost relies on its only home race of the season (the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix being cancelled earlier in the season due to floods) to score points. Yuki Tsunoda, who will be racing for a second time with Liam Lawson as his teammate, is indeed a big fan of Monza.
« I love Monza because it is truly an exciting track to drive on. It is very fast and everyone runs with the lowest level of downforce of the season. Braking before the chicanes, especially for the first one at the end of the start/finish straight, is therefore particularly challenging. »
Struggling on most tracks since the beginning of the season, the AlphaTauri AT04 has shown a little more comfort in fast corners or on long straight lines such as in Baku or Spa, circuits on which Tsunoda has scored points this season. The native of Sagamihara thus intends to exploit these strengths in Monza in order to enter the Top 10.
« Our car has been performing quite well so far in high-speed corners, so this track could suit it. At Spa, before the summer break, we had very little downforce and the car’s balance was quite good. However, it is difficult to say where we stand in terms of actual performance. »
Anyway, Tsunoda knows that he can count on the support of a large part of his team members, Faenza being only a few hours drive away from Monza.
« This is a very important event for our team, especially after the cancellation of Imola earlier this year. I know that all the team members are excited for Monza, especially the Italians, so we really hope to achieve a good result there. »
The Japanese driver will be able to draw inspiration from Pierre Gasly’s performance three years ago on this same track. The Frenchman then gave AlphaTauri their only victory to this day.
