“He is on the right track,” Franz Tost claims Yuki Tsunoda is nearly ready for a Red Bull move

Yuki Tsunoda scored his first points for the 2023 season at the Australian GP.

“He is on the right track,” Franz Tost claims Yuki Tsunoda is nearly ready for a Red Bull move

Franz Tost. Yuki Tsunoda. Image via FirstSportz.

Time flies. It is already Yuki Tsunoda’s third year in Formula 1. The AlphaTauri driver has grown over the years. His approach to racing had a major shift from when he started. Tsunoda inherited leadership with his team after the departure of Pierre Gasly. Gasly moved to Alpine for the 2023 season. Tsunoda now has a new teammate, F1 rookie Nyck De Vries.

Tsunoda had a troubled first season in F1. However, he was given another chance. He became a more reliable mid-field driver over the past months. Franz Tost, AlphaTauri team principal, believes in the 22-year-old’s potential. According to Tost, Tsunoda has a high chance of racing for Red Bull in 2025. The team boss praised his driver.

YouTube video

FS Video

After the Australian GP, Franz Tost spoke to Sports1 about Tsunoda’s move to Red Bull. “As far as I know, Sergio Perez still has a contract for next year. All I can say is that Yuki is on the right track. He has improved in every respect. But I think he should drive at AlphaTauri again in 2024. In 2025, I think he will finally be ready for Red Bull.”

Related: Why was F1 banned in Switzerland?

Franz Tost believes Yuki Tsunoda has been brilliant this season

IMG COM 20230408 1512 12 7412
Yuki Tsunoda. Image via F1.

Tost further added, “Yuki drove two extremely strong races so far. I am very happy with him. It’s not his fault that we aren’t competitive yet.” The Austrian feels it is the team that is not competitive, and Yuki Tsunoda is giving his best. The Japanese driver scored his first points of the season at the Australian GP, the third round of F1. In the first two rounds, Tsunoda finished 11th. He was frustrated with not scoring points. 

Tsunoda could have finished higher in the Australian GP if not for the red flag. The AlphaTauri driver made a brilliant final restart, and without the red flag, he would have finished P5. Tsunoda revealed that the crashes happened behind him after he passed Gasly. So had the incident not occurred, he would have finished in a higher place. The 22-year-old called the final red flag a “mega shame” as he ended up in P10.

Yuki Tsunoda has to prove himself against his new teammate. Nyck de Vries brings experience from Mercedes. He was their reserve driver and closely monitored Lewis Hamilton. He was also a full-time factory driver in Formula E and went on to win the championship. Red Bull does not have a vacant seat for the next season. Tsunoda and De Vries must show their potential to climb up the ladder. In the end, it all comes down to whether Tsunoda has matured and learned his lessons in F1. 

In case you missed it: