I owe a lot to Honda and Red Bull: Yuki Tsunoda

I owe a lot to Honda and Red Bull: Yuki Tsunoda

Yuki Tsunoda

AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda is optimistic for the next season in Formula 1. The Japanese driver joined AlphaTauri as a rookie in 2021 and became the first Japanese to race in the sport since Kamui Kobayashi in 2014.

Yuki came to F1 through Red Bull’s Junior Program and has been supported by Honda Formula Dream Program since 2016. Hence the driver feels he owes a lot to both of them.

In a press release of the AlphaTauri F1 team, the driver had said, “It’s been so important to have had Honda’s backing throughout my career so far. I have had many opportunities I wouldn’t have had without Honda, and I have learnt so much. I owe them a lot, and together with Red Bull, they are an integral part of my development as a driver.”

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Last season the driver finished P14 with 32 points in the Drivers’ Championship. Tsunoda’s highlight of the season came in the final race in Abu Dhabi, where he overtook the then Mercedes and now Alfa Romeo driver Valtteri Bottas and finished P4 in the race. Apart from this, the driver struggled to find pace on the track.

What’s ahead for Yuki Tsunoda?

Yuki Tsunoda
AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda

Yuki was present alongside his teammate Pierre Gasly during the launch of the AlphaTauri’s 2022 challenger, AT03. The AT03 is powered by a Honda engine.

Although Honda has officially quit Formula 1, they will continue to provide support, maintenance, and supply of the engines for both AlphaTauri and Red Bull, till 2025. The Japanese engine maker has shared a deep relationship with both teams.

Tsunoda, on the unveiling and in the same statement from his team, said, “I will be missing some of the people we used to work [from Honda] with but, I’m sure we’ll be able to benefit from the same reliable and powerful PU we had last year.”

Both the driver and the team look hopeful about their new machine as we head towards the pre-season testing in Barcelona this month. They’ll be looking forward to making a move for a position higher on the grid and challenging the top teams, despite the lack of infrastructure, as earlier stated by their boss Franz Tost.

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