F1 | Red Bull Junior Tsunoda to take his maiden test with Alpha Tauri
Red Bull Junior Yuki Tsunoda is ready to test an Alpha Tauri in Imola and set a note for a “promotion” on the next season
After many years of watching always the same faces racing season after season, F1 is changing its aspect, welcoming a huge amount of young drivers on the grid. There is to say that each one of them is giving an important contribute to the sport, especially Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen.
Red Bull is the first team to promote its Junior driver to the major formula and now it seems it could be Yuki Tsunoda’s golden ticket to the Circus.
The young Japanese is currently third in F2’s Championship and he is already said to have a test after Abu Dhabi and maybe an additional FP1 throughout the season, but there’s more. Tsunoda is expected to test the Alpha Tauri for the first time in Imola tomorrow, testing his way out on the Toro Rosso’s 2018 single-seater, the STR13. That car is quite a lucky charm. Both Pierre Gasly and Daniel Kvyat did try their pre-seasonal venue on it so it could definitely mean something. Like the official preparation for Tsunoda to get his superlicence, for example.
"Yuki Tsunoda has to get used to a Formula 1 car- Franz Tost, AlphaTauri’s boss states - It is his first outing in a Formula 1 car. It's here in Imola. It's not an easy track, and I will instruct him in the best possible way what to do, and then we want to do a 300kms run with him, just to get the permission from the FIA to do eventually a FP1 in Bahrain or Abu Dhabi. We will see if it's necessary. It depends where he ends up in the F2 drivers' championship. If he is in the first four, he gets a superlicence, if he is fifth and maybe he needs two FP1s, because they will be a point as well."
It seems that the young Japanese has a wide chance to enter the Circus in 2021, right before the 2022 regulations’ change and it would be just in time to get used to Formula 1 and he would have nothing to lose. With Verstappen and Albon well secured in Red Bull, his only spot could be at Pierre Gasly’s side in Alpha Tauri, but Kvyat just showed off with a super fourth place in the Imola GP. It will be quite an heartfelt battle.
"OK, the boss is gone!" 😂
— Scuderia AlphaTauri (@AlphaTauriF1) November 3, 2020
When Franz is away, @PierreGASLY will play 🛴 pic.twitter.com/4xVGq1LKnp
