Yuki Tsunoda, a Formula 1 driver for AlphaTauri, believes that in 2023, the team leader position at the Faenza squad will go to the driver who is the fastest overall.
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Tsunoda, who gained experience working with Pierre Gasly, will compete in his third F1 season with the Italian team. Tsunoda will be joined by Nyck de Vries, a Formula E, Formula 2, and sports car veteran who is new to Formula One, as the Frenchman departs for Alpine. Despite the fact that Tsunoda has been a member of the team for two years, Red Bull driver mentor Helmut Marko believes that 27-year-old De Vries will be the squad’s natural leader due to his expertise, which also includes simulator and test work for Mercedes. Marko remarked that Nyck ought to be the team’s captain because Yuki is young and lacks these qualifications and experience and because Gasly’s replacement, De Vries, was named. We’ll see how things go the following year, but based on his background and disposition, he ought to lead the team.
As AlphaTauri’s longest-serving driver, Tsunoda believed that he would also be given more responsibility. He rejected the notion that De Vries would inevitably assume a leadership position, arguing that the team would ultimately be led by whoever was the fastest driver. When asked about his position on AlphaTauri with De Vries joining, Tsunoda replied, “Well, the speedier man is going to be leading the team regardless. I don’t give a damn whether I’m a team leader or not; I’m simply focused on my work, and there’s always room for improvement.
“Since Pierre will be leaving, I must still be more accountable than this year. However, I remain very confident that I can accomplish that. I’ll return more powerful.” Despite AlphaTauri having a difficult year and falling to ninth place behind Haas, Tsunoda is confident due to a stronger end to 2022. The 22-year-old Japanese said, “I think overall for this season, I’ve always progressed every race very well, and I’m pretty happy about the shape I ended up this year.” “Obviously, I still have a lot to work on, especially consistency, but at least I know what my goal is for the following year. Also, a heartfelt thanks to Pierre. Without him, I wouldn’t have made as much progress over the past two years, and I gained a lot of knowledge from him. Although working with him was enjoyable, I’ll miss him.
