F1 team Alpha Tauri has announced today, December 16, the signing of Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda for next year. Tsunoda will team up with Frenchman Pierre Gasly for his Formula 1 debut season, replacing Russian Daniil Kvyat who is left without a seat in next year’s grid. 

Yuki Tsunoda said about his signing for the Faenza´s squad:

“Like most racing drivers, it has always been my goal to race in Formula 1, so I am very happy with this news. I want to thank Scuderia AlphaTauri, Red Bull and Dr. Marko for giving me this opportunity, and of course everyone from Honda, for all their support so far in my career, giving me great opportunities to race in Europe”.

“I must also thank the teams that I have raced with to get to this point, particularly Carlin, with whom I have learned so much this year. I realise that I will be carrying the hopes of a lot of Japanese F1 fans next year and I will be doing my best for them too.”

Franz Tost, Team Principal of Scuderia Alpha Tauri:

“Red Bull has been following Yuki’s career for a while now and I am sure he will be a great asset to our team. Watching him in Formula 2 this year, he has demonstrated the right mix of racing aggression and good technical understanding. During the test in Imola in November when he drove our 2018 car, his lap times were very consistent over a race simulation, he progressed throughout the day and gave our engineers useful feedback”.

“In addition, his integration with the Honda engineers has been seamless, which certainly helps. At the test in Abu Dhabi this week, he proved to be a fast learner and that he is ready to make the step to Formula One.”

The road to F1 of Yuki Tsunoda

The Japanese driver will make the leap from Formula 2, where he finished third in 2020 behind Mick Schumacher and Callum Illot.

The Japanese driver took seven podiums and three victories last season, accruing a total of 200 points, 15 less than the German champion and only one less than the British runner-up. It was precisely his finishing place that opened the doors to Formula 1 for Tsunoda as it entitled him to a Super Licence, a necessary pre-requisite to compete in Formula 1. 

After Kamui Kobayashi’s retirement at the end of 2014, Tsunoda will become the first pilot from the land of the rising sun to be part of the queen of motorsport’s categories. 

Tsunoda began his racing career in Japanese Formula 4 conquering its title in 2018, before moving to Europe to compete in Formula 3 a year later. That same 2019 he finished in ninth place with three podiums and one victory under his belt.

In 2020 he made the climb to Formula 2 where he has demonstrated great consistency and rhythm. It is those qualities that have caught the eye of the Faenza team, and have landed him a test opportunity and ultimately a contract in F1. 

Tsunoda had his first F1 test with a Toro Rosso STR13 (2018) at the beginning of November at the Autodromo de Imola. Having made an impression on the Alpha Tauri bosses, he was summoned for the young drivers’ test which took place on Tuesday, December 15, in Abu Dhabi.

There is a chance, however, that Tsunoda and his new team already had some sort of agreement before the young pilot set foot on the track at the Yas Marina Circuit after Abu Dhabi GP. 

Also, rumours have it that Tsunoda could have been a bargaining chip in the negotiations between Red Bull Racing and Honda. It is no secret that the former is hoping to use the Japanese engines free of charge, as the latter is set to leave the speciality at the end of 2021.

The signing of Honda’s protégé could be a concession to the Asian manufacturer in exchange for the allowance to use their engines. 

Images of Yuki Tsunoda: Scuderia Alpha Tauri.