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Brundle hopes Red Bull retains confidence in Tsunoda
- GPblog.com
Alex Brundle is hoping that Yuki Tsunoda will also come out for AlphaTauri in 2023. The Japanese driver is currently in his second season in Formula 1 and has a contract that expires after this season. From the Red Bull Junior Team, there are several drivers who are competing for Tsunoda's spot, so he will have to work hard this season.
Tsunoda's debut year went with peaks and deep valleys. He started the season excellently, but the difference with teammate Pierre Gasly was often incredibly large, both in qualifying and in the race. In 2022, there seems to be more stability present in the 21-year-old driver's driving.
Stability needed
Brundle, who himself spent a season in Formula 2 and is the son of former Formula 1 driver Martin Brundle, has a lot of confidence in Tsunoda. However, he says it is essential that he is not shown the door by Red Bull Racing after this season.
"People questioned [whether] he should still be there and they really believed in him, they kept him through this year and I really hope he can deliver on that because I’d like to see the programme move in that direction of nurturing rather than just ‘throw him in, no!’, ‘throw him in, no!’” This of course refers to Pierre Gasly and Alexander Albon's short periods as Max Verstappen's teammates at Red Bull Racing.
In Formula 2, Liam Lawson and Juri Vips seem to be the two biggest contenders for a promotion to the pinnacle of motorsport. Whether there will be room for either of them will depend on what or if Red Bull continues with Perez and how Tsunoda manifests this season.