Tsunoda brings "extraordinary" strengths to AlphaTauri - Tost
Franz Tost is confident Yuki Tsunoda can bring his "extraordinary" strengths to AlphaTauri despite facing a steep learning curve through his debut Formula 1 season.
Tsunoda will embark on his rookie F1 campaign in 2021 after graduating from Formula 2, where he finished third in the championship last year.
The Japanese youngster is set to become the first driver born in the 2000s to race in F1, but faces limited opportunities to get up to speed before the opening race in Bahrain next month.
Teams have just three days of pre-season testing in 2021, with most set to split that evenly between its drivers. Tsunoda has managed to complete some private running in some of AlphaTauri's older cars to compensate for this.
Speaking following the launch of AlphaTauri's new AT02 car ahead of the 2021 season, team principal Tost said that while Tsunoda would face the regular challenges rookies encounter in F1, his skills would still shine through.
"We expect his learning curve to be quite steep, so he should be able to achieve a good performance quite quickly," Tost said.
"Of course, he will have some crashes. That's part of the development programme.
"But what is very extraordinary on his side is the car control, his strength on the braking and his speed in fast corners.
"If he continues his learning process, like he did at the tests in Imola and Abu Dhabi last year, I'm sure we will see some fantastic races."
Tsunoda conducted test runs in the 2018-spec Toro Rosso at Imola last year before driving the 2020 car in the post-season Abu Dhabi test. He has also conducted running in the 2019 Toro Rosso at Imola and Misano this year.
While expressing his faith in Tsunoda, Tost explained how teammate Pierre Gasly could help the Japanese youngster's development this year and bring out the best in him.
"Pierre is a very high skilled driver and he now also has the necessary experience to be a leader in the team and for Yuki," Tost said.
"Every driver compares themselves with their teammate so the better the latter is, the more you are pushed to improve yourself.
"Yuki can learn a lot from Pierre in all aspects, for example comparing the lap times, the set-up of the car, the driving lines. This is all very important, especially on those tracks that are new to Yuki.
"If you have a strong and experienced teammate you can compare many different parameters, which help to improve your own performance."
Related video
Previous article
Eight things Red Bull must do to beat Mercedes in 2021
Next article
Pietro Fittipaldi to continue as Haas F1’s test and reserve driver
About this article
| Series | Formula 1 |
| Teams | AlphaTauri |
| Author | Jonathan Noble |
Why Verstappen isn't interested in the hype game
In a pre-season where Red Bull has been unusually quiet, Max Verstappen has also been guarded about the team's fortunes in 2021. Even after trying the RB16B for the first time at Silverstone, the Dutchman was careful to manage expectations
The pros and cons of F1's 2021 rule changes
In the strategy for grand prix racing's future, 2021 represents a significant step towards the goal of closer racing and a more level playing field. That's the theory behind the latest raft of changes, but will they have the desired effect?
What Red Bull is trying to hide with its RB16B launch
Red Bull made no secret of the fact its 2021 F1 car is an evolution of its predecessor, but in keeping the same foundations while hiding some tightly-guarded updates with its RB16B, the team aims to avoid suffering the same pitfalls of previous years
How Albon plans to fight his way out of Red Bull limbo
Alex Albon has faced the media for the first time since he lost his Red Bull drive at the end of 2020 and dropped out of a Formula 1 race seat altogether. He has a history of bouncing back from setbacks, so here's what he must do to rise again
Ranked! Carlin's greatest F1 graduates
Carlin has helped guide enough drivers to Formula 1 to fill out an entire grid, plus a handful of reserves, to create a remarkable alumni list. With Yuki Tsunoda set to join that group, Motorsport.com has ranked its graduates to grace the grand prix scene...
Why Alfa's 2021 launch says more about its 2022 plans
Alfa Romeo launched its C41 with a revised front nose, but there's little to suggest it will surge up the leaderboard in 2021. As the team frankly admits, it's putting its eggs in the basket labelled 2022 and hoping to hold the eighth place it earned last year
Why Gasly’s AlphaTauri haven is a blessing and a curse
Red Bull opted not to re-sign Pierre Gasly even before it decided to drop Alex Albon and so the Frenchman's Formula 1 journey will continue at AlphaTauri. This has positive and negative connotations for one of last season's star performers.
Eight things Red Bull must do to beat Mercedes in 2021
After seven years of defeat at the hands of Mercedes, Red Bull is as hungry as ever to secure a fifth world championship. But there are key challenges it must overcome in 2021 to switch from challenger to conqueror
