'Extra year at AlphaTauri for Tsunoda due to lack of Red Bull talent?'

Yuki Tsunoda appears to be in with a good chance of a third season at AlphaTauri. The Japanese driver has yet to fully convince the Red Bull management, but his improved performance and lack of Red Bull talent probably offer him a last resort.

Second year with AlphaTauri

Tsunoda struggled in his first year with AlphaTauri and when he received a contract extension from the team, he was most surprised. It was no surprise, as Tsunoda lost the qualifying duel to Pierre Gasly 21-1 with an average difference of 0.527s. Gasly was also much better on Sunday. Fourteen times he finished ahead of the Japanese driver and scored 78 points more (110 to 32).

Nevertheless, partly due to the lack of a good successor, Tsunoda was given a second chance by Helmut Marko. And although Tsunoda can still be caught out with several mistakes and his team radio shows he could use a course in self-control, he has definitely improved compared to 2021.

In 2022 there is much less difference between Gasly and Tsunoda on Saturday. Yuki has already won five of the thirteen qualifications and the gap to Gasly is only 0.099s over the first thirteen qualifying sessions. Things are also improving on Sunday. Five times Gasly finished ahead of Tsunoda when both finished, and twice it was the other way around. The difference in points is therefore also minimal: 16-11.

Red Bull talents disappoint

Tsunoda doesn't seem like Red Bull Racing material and Red Bull has said goodbye to talent often enough in the past. However, it is also true that the successor has to be ready. Tsunoda is lucky that his potential successors are not exactly banging on the door.

Liam Lawson is the reserve driver for Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri, and with a second place in the DTM last year, he seemed the candidate to put pressure on Tsunoda. Although he is due to race in the first free practice session of the Belgian Grand Prix, he does not seem to have any real claim to a seat for 2023. The New Zealander is eighth in the F2 championship, 92 points behind leader Felipe Drugovich. Lawson is in his second season, where Tsunoda finished third in the championship in his first season.

Jehan Daruvala is the best performing Red Bull junior in F2 in fourth place, but at 23 he seems to be part of the Red Bull squad for form's sake. Born in India, Daruvala is attracting attention in an interesting market for Red Bull, but his CV is not exactly to write home about.

Ayumu Iwasa is also racing in F2 as a Red Bull junior and is seventh in the standings. The Japanese won one main race already, but Tsunoda's 20-year-old compatriot doesn't look like an upgrade either. The same can be said for Juri Vips, who has also blown his own wind by using the N-word in an online stream, in addition to his tenth place overall. Dennis Hauger is the last Red Bull junior in F2, but he is 12th after his F3 title in 2021.

Too early for Hadjar

Isack Hadjar is the most impressive of the Red Bull juniors. The seventeen-year-old French driver leads the Formula 3 championship ahead of favourites Victor Martins, Arthur Leclerc and Jak Crawford. Unlike his rivals, this is Hadjar's first year in the class and he is making quite an impression on Marko. Should Tsunoda really disappoint in the second half of the season, Hadjar might be a driver who can skip a class from Marko.

However, Hauger's performance shows that an F3 title does not mean you are also a top driver in Formula 2. Although Hauger won F3 in only his second season and Hadjar is already in contention for the title in his first year, a move to F1 may be too soon for the young Frenchman. He would be best advised to spend at least another year maturing in F2.

For AlphaTauri it seems the best choice to hold on to Tsunoda for another year. The Japanese rider has shown he can improve and now has to show he can make another step. It would also be good for Red Bull to hold on to the Japanese driver in order to strengthen the partnership with Honda.

If Gasly's contract expires at the end of 2023 and the Frenchman decides to leave, Tsunoda is still an experienced driver for Red Bull. However, the Japanese will need to have shown himself to be a constant factor if he is to lead the team and be a good benchmark for the arrival of a new talent alongside him.