Yuki Tsunoda did not have a car that could win races or fight for podiums in 2023. Despite this, the AlphaTauri driver is satisfied with how his season went. Tsunoda praised himself for being consistent and for pushing hard, even though he was driving the slowest car on the grid for the majority of the year.
Furthermore, the Japanese driver believes that he was, at times on the opposite side of luck. In the end, that ended up making the most difference. Speaking about this, Tsunoda said to FormulaRapida,
“I’m quite satisfied with my performance. The first half in particular was quite consistent. There were no reliability issues or anything. There were a few things that made us unlucky at times in terms of scoring points.”
Tsunoda was the only pillar of consistency in a turbulent season for AlphaTauri. They let of Nyck de Vries midway, got Daniel Ricciardo in, and then had to temporarily replace him with Liam Lawson due to an injury. While the three drivers did show glimpses of their talent, it was Tsunoda who worked hard to get AlphaTauri the points they deserved.
The 23-year-old claimed 17 points, the most by an AlphaTauri driver in 2023, and took P14 in the Drivers’ Championship. He played the biggest role in helping the Faenza-based team get P8 in the Constructors’ championship. Tsunoda, however, feels that he can do much better in 2024.
What is next for Yuki Tsunoda at AlphaTauri?
Tsunoda’s contract with AlphaTauri was extended until the 2024 season, which will mark his fourth year for the team. Next year, however, he will start the campaign alongside eight-time Grand Prix winner Daniel Ricciardo. Whether he outperforms the honey badger or not, will be an interesting thing to keep an eye out on.
With Tsunoda’s contract getting extended, criticism also flowed into the team’s decision making. A part of the F1 community feels that Lawson should have been the one to drive alongside Ricciardo. This is because the New Zealander exceeded all expectations in his short stint as Tsunoda’s teammate in 2023.
Ricciardo was also linked to a Red Bull seat pending Sergio Perez’s sacking. Then, Lawson could have joined Tsunoda at their sister team. That, unfortunately for Lawson, didn’t materialize. Plus, a strong backing by Honda snubbed everything to ease things up for Tsunoda.
