Scuderia AlphaTauri F1 team principal Franz Tost says Yuki Tsunoda has taken a “big step” ahead of the 2023 F1 season. AlphaTauri’s signing of Nick de Vries after Pierre Gasly’s move to Alpine made Yuki Tsunoda a more experienced F1 driver within the team.
De Vries has a wealth of experience in motorsport, including time spent at Mercedes, but less in F1. Before the start of the season, AlphaTauri said they expected more from third-year Yuki Tsunoda, who joined as a rookie in 2021. Both Yuki Tsunoda and De Vries are out of contract this year and the Red Bull-backed young driver pool is lined with drivers eager to step up to prove themselves. However, Franz Tost says that so far Yuki Tsunoda is doing well. “Yuki has taken a big step forward,” said Franz Tost. “Not only on the driving side, but also on the technical side,” he said. “His technical feedback was very good and his race[in Bahrain]was competitive. I think we got the most out of it.” De Vries made his F1 debut with Williams at last year’s Italian Grand Prix, which was the catalyst for him to win a full-time drive. While he’s still working on his F1 driver job, Franz Tost expects F2 and Formula E champion de Vries to improve as the season progresses. “Nick is still learning,” says Franz Tost. “What we have to offer our drivers is a fast car and they are there,” he said. So it’s up to the team to provide them with a competitive machine.” “Nick will definitely step up. If there is a good car, he will be there. “Young drivers and If you’re new to Formula 1 and your car is having trouble, it’s even more difficult.”It’s easy to put in a good performance with a competitive car.And I think Nick will do well and give us a good race.” Sure”
