L’AlphaTauri is preparing to compete in the 2022 world championship by presenting the same drivers lined up in the previous championship on the starting grid: Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda. While the Frenchman can already enjoy a relative experience in the top flight, the situation is different for the 21-year-old Japanese, who in turn has just returned from his first year in the Circus. A confirmation, the one approved primarily by the team principal Franz Tost, which underlines the confidence in the potential of the young Japanese, author of a sensational podium close to the last GP in Abu Dhabi. Yet, with the exception of this and six other points finishes, the rest of the championship also highlighted some limitations of the 2018 Japanese F4 champion, also from a character point of view.
Despite the incidents and angry reactions during the radio teams, which occurred especially in the first half of the season, Tsunoda then recovered in the second part of the world championship, so much so that he deserved the opportunity to continue his career in the top flight always within the AlphaTauri family. With regard to this aspect, Tost stressed the importance of supporting above all newcomers such as number 22, in the belief that the gradual progress of the latter can give more satisfactory results: “Of course, if we make a direct comparison only on experience – explained the Austrian manager in an interview with the journalist Dieter Rencken for RacingNews365 – Pierre finished on 110 points, against Yuki’s 32. But that was clear to me at the start of the season, and it’s the price to pay for a rookie driver. These are aspects that are part of the training process, and I think that the fruits, both for us and for Red Bull, we will have them next year. As Yuki gets more and more experience, she obviously will score more points. However, to get there, you first have to bite into the sour apple ”.
On the other hand, however, Tost expressed his opinion on Gasly, author of a 3rd place in Azerbaijan after the success obtained in 2020 in Monza: “I am more than happy with him – He admitted – he’s improved fantastically, and his learning curve is still going up; this is also important. I must say that Pierre is doing a great job, and we hope to be able to provide him with a competitive car again next year, because at that point will always be in the top six or seven“.
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