Scuderia AlphaTauri Team Principal Franz Tost is confident that the team will have a better season in 2023 with the AT04 after having an underwhelming campaign last year.
There hasn’t been to many significant changes within AlphaTauri except from the departure of Pierre Gasly and the arrival of Nyck de Vries who will be driving in Formula 1 this year with the team. De Vries has a tremendous amount of experience in motorsport, previously winning FIA Formula 2 and ABB FIA Formula E World Championship titles and is now hoping to make an impact at the top of the sport.
Tost was asked about what he expects from the Dutchman in his first season with the team and the impact that he will have towards the development of the car.
“Nyck de Vries has driven in only one Formula 1 race, last year in Monza, where he produced a fantastic performance. Nevertheless, he has a great deal of racing experience, winning races and championships in many of the categories that he took part in.
“Therefore, I’m quite sure that he will be able to deliver good results soon in the season then to be nishing in the points in the races.
“Nyck is technically very highly-skilled and focused. When driving our car at the Abu Dhabi Young Driver test at the end of last season, he already gave the engineers good technical feedback.
“I think that he will immediately understand the new car. He will get familiar with the car quickly and his feedback will be useful because, as I said before, he understands the technical challenges that Formula 1 cars present. I believe he is one of the most adept drivers in terms of technical understanding of the car.”
Yuki Tsunoda, on the other hand, will need to have a big season in 2023 as he enters into his third year in F1. The Japanese driver struggled in 2022, only managing to score twelve points across the campaign.
Tost has quoted in the past saying that a driver needs three seasons to be at their best in F1, with the team principal expecting a lot out of Tsunoda in 2023 as he believes that they will have a more competitive car this year.
“Last year, Yuki struggled with the car. This year, as I expect we will have quite a competitive car, Yuki must always aim to be in Qualifying 3 and nish the races in the points.
“He is a very highly-skilled driver and now has a lot of experience with two seasons in Formula 1. For this reason, of course, he has to score many more points than he did last year.”
One thing that has been surprising over the winter is the team principal changes across the grid, which has made the headlines more than the drivers recently. Tost is now the second longest serving team principal in F1 and believes success in the sport is key to longevity in the job.
“I enjoy my job. I love Formula 1 but of course, we have to bring in successes and we must have a good season because this is the key for continuity. Otherwise, the team has to be reshued. This is the normal way it works in business.”
AlphaTauri have a new sponsor and principal partner for the upcoming season after announcing their partnership with PKN ORLEN. Tost believes that this deal not only aligns with the team and their values but is also excited to see how their relationship will grow with the brand.
“It is great for us to start o the season with a new partner, especially one as big and likeminded to Scuderia AlphaTauri as ORLEN.
“As one of Central Europe’s leading oil and gas companies, their progressive and sustainable approach aligns with our team and our values. I am excited to see how this partnership will grow in the coming years.”
