How much Yuki Tsunoda can improve ahead of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship season depends on him, according to Scuderia AlphaTauri Team Principal Franz Tost.
Tsunoda will remain with AlphaTauri for a third consecutive season in 2023 and will inherit the role of team leader now that Pierre Gasly has left the team to race for the BWT Alpine F1 Team, although he will be hoping for a much better campaign next year compared to 2022, where he scored only twelve points in an under-performing AT03.
This compared to thirty-two points in his rookie season, but Tsunoda showed more consistency throughout his sophomore season, making less mistakes than in 2021 and bringing himself closer to the kind of pace Gasly was showing in the other car.
Tost says he is expecting a strong 2023 campaign for the Japanese racer, who will have a new team-mate in Dutchman Nyck de Vries next season, but it will be up to him to see how much he can improve himself.
“Yuki Tsunoda has developed reasonably well, was able to improve and was faster than Pierre Gasly in the last qualifying sessions,” said Tost to Speedweek.
“How much he can still improve will depend solely on him. I am already expecting a strong 2023 from him.”
Tost also has high hopes on his new driver, with de Vries arriving in Formula 1 full-time for the first time after a one-off outing replacing Alexander Albon at Williams Racing in the Italian Grand Prix in 2022 where he secured a remarkable ninth place finish.
De Vries will be given as much seat time as possible prior to his debut with the team in the Bahrain Grand Prix, and providing the AT04 is strong, he is expecting the Dutchman to show how good a driver he is.
“Provided that our car works, I expect a lot from Nyck de Vries,” said Tost. “He did a very good test in Abu Dhabi and his feedback was very good.
“We will prepare him well. We still have two tyre tests and one private test before the official Formula 1 tests come. That means he will have covered 3,000 to 4,000 kilometres by the start of the season.
“He should be well prepared for the season.”