Yuki Tsunoda impressed during his debut for AlphaTauri with a ninth place in the race. The team is very pleased with the replacement for Daniil Kvyat, who seems to be learning very quickly.
In 2021 Kvyat had to make way for the young Tsunoda. The Japanese driver made a big impression in Formula 2, where he already managed to win races in his second year in Europe, was on pole four times and was eventually the best 'Rookie' in the standings. That speed didn't go unnoticed by Helmut Marko, and so Tsunoda got a chance at AlphaTauri.
Tsunoda a fast learner
''His speed was not in doubt from F2. He deserves this chance. He deserves this shot. He's on a very steep learning curve, as with any young driver that is coming into the Formula 1 world, but he's taking it step by step. He's absorbing a lot of information, and he's communicating well, and we're understanding what he wants from the car. He's working well with an engineering team. He's a quick learner,'' said technical director Joey Egginton to Motorsport.com.
In Bahrain, not everything went according to plan, but Tsunoda performed and eventually got the points, and that's the most important thing for the team. ''We're going to have ups and downs, but he's delivering and I think that's important because we're firmly in the midfield it appears, so it's good,'' Egginton concluded.