Tsunoda Looking To Prove He Has 'What It Takes To Be Top F1 Driver' In 2024

Wednesday, 03 January 2024 at 04:00

Yuki Tsunoda hinted he expects to have a more powerful car in 2024 and looks forward to proving he is one of the top drivers on the F1 grid.

AlphaTauri started the season as one of the worst teams but made quite significant progress towards the end of the season, moving up two positions in the Championship standings.

As Valtteri Bottas said, it is very challenging for a driver to show what he's got when he doesn't have a car that would allow him to reach the top ten.

Consequently, the Japanese driver flew under the radar for the major part of the 2023 season. However, as his car improved towards the end, he showed impressive performances in Austin and Abu Dhabi. Tsunoda told jp.motorsport.com:

“"Last year I was able to take a step forward in terms of discovering my value as a driver. Furthermore, I think the car will be better this year, and I think we will have more opportunities to compete in the top 10."”

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The 23-year-old's best result was eighth place with fastest lap during the United States Grand Prix, but he will be hoping for even better performances.

AlphaTauri is said to take advantage of its sister relationship with Red Bull Racing going into this year's season. The Italian team should receive transfarrable components which Red Bull uses in their own cars.

With Red Bull being the fastest team on the grid, many other teams have already expressed concerns over its relationship with AlphaTauri, as the team could potentially gain quite a significant boost.

Tsunoda's contract with his team is valid until the end of the 2024 season. He will need to show what he's got in order to remain in F1, and he believes he can do it. The Japanese driver added:

“"I think this will be the year I prove that I have what it takes to be a top F1 driver. In order to do that, I will need to make a pretty big effort, and I will also need everyone's support. Thank you very much for last year. Thank you for your support this year as well."”