Team Analysis | Can AlphaTauri move up a spot in the F1 Championship?

2021 F1 Season

The 2021 Formula 1 season was anything but a disappointment for AlphaTauri. Red Bull Racing's sister team finished sixth in the constructors' championship, just thirteen points behind Alpine. Pierre Gasly proved to be a constant factor for the team, while Yuki Tsunoda showed a good amount of speed and talent in his debut year.

At the same time, Tsunoda still lacked consistency, but the young Japanese was very aware of his own shortcomings. He even admitted that his contract extension came as a surprise, but team boss Franz Tost stressed that it was all part of the learning process.

In addition, both AlphaTauri and Red Bull Racing showed that the Honda protégé was a long-term project by making the necessary investments. For example, Helmut Marko moved the driver to Italy, where he was given a busy schedule to find his feet within the team. That investment paid off, as Tsunoda closed the 2021 season with his best result to date: He finished fourth in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Pre-season test

AlphaTauri can look back on two successful pre-season tests. The team was particularly productive in both Barcelona and Bahrain: at the end of the last testing day in Bahrain the counter stood at 679 laps, exactly one more than Red Bull Racing. Only Ferrari and Mercedes covered more laps.

Especially in Bahrain, Franz Tost's team was very productive. With 371 laps, they covered the second most laps of all teams. The times were also pretty good: Tsunoda ended the last testing day with a lap time of 1:33.002, good for seventh place. However, he did so on the C5 tire, the softest compound.

AlphaTauri in 2022

With the experienced Gasly and the more confident Tsunoda, AlphaTauri has all the credentials to make 2022 an even more successful year than 2021. Gasly is more driven than ever to prove himself to Red Bull Racing, while Tsunoda has found his feet and is looking for more consistent results.

However, there are still question marks surrounding the car. AlphaTauri introduced relatively few major changes to the AT03, but it certainly doesn't seem to be in bad shape. In addition, the team may be able to take advantage of the problems other teams are facing and work its way to the top of the midfield.

Expectations

In 2021, AlphaTauri finished right behind Alpine in the constructors' championship and it is therefore quite possible that they will overtake the French racing stable in 2022. Given the results of the pre-season tests, the team should be able to keep Aston Martin behind them, and so fifth place among the constructors seems a realistic goal.

At the same time, McLaren still seems to be too high, despite the problems the British racing stable encountered in Bahrain. All in all, AlphaTauri can look forward to the new Formula 1 season with confidence and the possibilities of moving up a spot in the championship are certainly real.