F1 Expert Disapproves AlphaTauri Choosing Yuki Tsunoda Over This Driver as Daniel Ricciardo’s Teammate

2023 was a very eventful year for AlphaTauri, who were forced to change their driver line-up multiple times. First, Daniel Ricciardo came back to replace Nyck de Vries and when the former injured himself, Liam Lawson came in as a temporary replacement. In the end, however, AlphaTauri decided to go ahead with Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda as their drivers for 2024, despite Lawson’s incredible showing, filling in for Ricciardo. This does not sit right with F1 expert and analyst Karun Chandhok.

Tsunoda has been a part of AlphaTauri since 2021. His first two years were underwhelming, but he picked up massively in 2023, which even led to rumors of Red Bull considering his services. His good performances couldn’t land a Red Bull seat for him, but the Japanese driver will continue with AlphaTauri in 2024 too, alongside a hungry Daniel Ricciardo.

 

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Chandhok, however, feels that Lawson is better than Tsunoda. He believes that the only reason the Faenza-based team chose Tsunoda over the New Zealander was due to sponsorship reasons. As per F1 Maximaal, Chandhok said:

“There are, of course, commercial reasons, I understand why they had to keep Yuki, but you wonder if Daniel and Liam wouldn’t have been the more optimal line-up for them by 2024.”

Another reason why Chandhok wants Lawson to partner up with Ricciardo is because he knows how difficult it is to step up from the role of a reserve driver.

Why Liam Lawson should partner up with Daniel Ricciardo

Chandhok feels that Lawson should partner up with Ricciardo because the Red Bull junior was better than Tsunoda in the few races he took part in. In addition to that, the New Zealander also stepped up promptly to the very rare opportunity, when Ricciardo injured his hand in Zandvoort.

Chandhok, from his personal experience, recalls how difficult it is to perform at the highest level when the team suddenly calls upon the reserve driver. Lawson had chances to show that he belonged at the highest level, in F1, and as per the Indian former driver, he did just that.

Furthermore, Lawson got to know that he wouldn’t be a driver in 2024, right before the qualifying round in Singapore. Still, he kept his head, showed how good he was, and defeated Tsunoda that weekend.

All these factors compel Chandhok to disapprove of AlphaTauri’s decision to choose Tsunoda over Lawson. However, there could be an opening for him in F1, if Sergio Perez underperforms and gets sacked by Red Bull’s main team as this would likely lead to Daniel Ricciardo’s promotion.