08/12/2020
NEWS STORY
Japan's Yuki Tsunoda, who finished third in the 2020 F2 Championship, will drive the AlphaTauri in next week's Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi.
Tsunoda, who won the Anthoine Hubert Award for 2020 F2 best rookie at the weekend, recently had his first taste of F1 driving the 2018 Toro Rosso at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari Circuit in Imola, completing over 350 kilometres.
Even in difficult wet conditions, he immediately familiarized himself with the car and was able to improve lap by lap, impressing with his car control and valuable feedback to the engineers. Now he has another chance to display his talent.
"I am really looking forward to testing with Scuderia AlphaTauri," said the youngster, who is almost certain to partner Pierre Gasly at the team next season. "I enjoyed driving one of the team's 2018 cars at Imola a few weeks back and I can't wait to try the current car, taking part in an official test session with all the other cars on track.
"I really appreciate how everyone at AlphaTauri has helped me to prepare for this session, and I also want to thank Red Bull and Dr. Marko for giving me this opportunity.
"During the session, my focus will be on following the team's instructions and giving my feedback to the engineers. It will also be a chance for me to learn as much as possible and help my own personal development."
"Yuki showed at the test in Imola that he is a fast learner," added Franz Tost, "able to easily get familiar with the car and was able to constantly improve every lap, so we decided to have him test with us at the Young Driver Test on the Wednesday.
"I'm convinced he will make a good step forward having a full day in the car, and this time he will be driving the AT01, so his feedback will be even more valuable for our engineers.
"It's great to see that the Red Bull Driver Programme can prepare young drivers so well, and I have no doubts he will prove his talent once again."