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Tost very satisfied: 'He has a sensational speed'

Tost very satisfied: 'He has a sensational speed'

19-05-2021 21:23 Last update: 22:35
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GPblog.com

Yuki Tsunoda has had a flying start to the season as a rookie. In his first Grand Prix, the young Japanese driver immediately scored points and showed his speed. In recent races, the driver hasn't been doing as well and the world got to know him better. Tsunoda proved to have a rather rude mouth when things didn't go his way. On the one hand, this is amusing because it makes him an outspoken and interesting driver. On the other hand, he can go too far with it, after which he apologizes again. Either way, it makes for great television. But how does AlphaTauri view him?

Sensational speed

In an interview from Auto, Motor und Sport Franz Tost, team principal of AlphaTauri, we are asked how the Japanese driver is doing in the eyes of the Austrian. The Austrian is happy with his latest addition to the team, but also says that AlphaTauri have missed quite a few opportunities in general.

But let's start with the impression Tsunoda left behind. Tost: "Yuki is doing very well. I am very satisfied with him, despite what happened during qualifying at Imola [Tsunoda parked the car in the wall, ed]. But that is a normal learning process you have to give to a young driver. He had two personal best times in the first sections. In sector three he went over it."

"He knows that now and I don't think it will happen to him again. Especially since it happened in the first run of Q1. The car was good enough for the top 10, so he didn't have to risk so much. But again, it's a learning process that you have to give him credit for. Basically, he's doing well. I'm happy because he has sensational speed and he's developing very well as well."

Getting more out of the car

The car Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda are currently driving is very solid. However, they have yet to get all the potential out of the car and this is due to various reasons. Tost says: "Several mistakes have come together, especially in the operational part. For example, we accidentally gave Pierre rain tyres instead of the intermediates at Imola. In Portimao, mistakes were made with the set-up, both in terms of aerodynamics and in the mechanical. There were also some accidents and all in all we got less out of it than expected."

Tost then looks back again to Imola, where the team made a mistake with the tyres. "Pierre had indicated that he wanted rain tyres. We should have responded to that as a team. The driver has the final impression in his head." However, the team decided otherwise and as a result, the race went haywire. This is not to be blamed on Gasly, Tost concludes, "That was a mistake by the team."