Franz Tost explains the role of Alexander Albon with Yuki Tsunoda as a guide for the Japanese driver for remainder of the F1 season.
Its been a tough baptism of a season for Tsunoda. A bright start in Bahrain was followed by some errors and shunts. This put the young Japanese under pressure and under the radar somewhat, with many asking the question; “Had Alpha Tauri made the right choice?”
However, he knuckled down and got on with the task in hand and so much so found himself rewarded with a drive for 2022. Over the course of 2021, Tsunoda moved to Faenza from United Kingdom, closer to the factory to better immerse himself in the team.
To continue on with the process of his learning, Red Bull “family member” Albon has been assisting Tsunoda at race weekends off-late. With his DTM season done, so the experience of the Thai’s two F1 seasons has been called upon as per Tost.
“It’s true,” said Tost when asked about Albon coming in. “Alex comes to Yuki, talks with him, explains him the track, whatever Yuki is asking and you know, it’s a talk between drivers and I think that’s quite positive for Yuki, because he gets a lot of knowledge from Alex and therefore it’s seen as very positive.”
It is fairly clear that Tsunoda has had a tough season, almost roller-coaster like. But recent steps has helped him and a greater understanding of the challenges of F1 is generating better results, whether in qualifying and or the races.
Tost said it made perfect sense for his squad to call on the experience of Albon, who remains a Red Bull reserve until the end of this season when he becomes a Williams driver. “Alex is in the Red Bull family and he didn’t have so many free weekends because he was running in the German touring car championship and we said when he is at the track, then he should support Yuki and we told Yuki, please ask him questions that he can help you with, to understand everything better and it worked very good,” he said.
Albon himself had a tough enough time in F1, starting at Torro Rosso and then being promoted to Red Bull midway through 2019, retained for 2020 and then losing his seat to Sergio Perez despite a very spirited and mature drive at Abu Dhabi.
Returning to the grid next season at Williams, his job one might go as far to say is to mentor and help Tsunoda as much as possible in Mexico, Brazil, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, along with his Red Bull reserve duties.
While Red Bull’s bosses did get frustrated at Tsunoda’s mistakes earlier in the season – and recently on Saturday of F1 Mexico GP after the Q3 incident – Tost says that he is impressed with the way that the youngster has kept his cool and turned things around.
“Yuki is improving and is getting better and better,” said Tost. “He’s always better understanding the engineering side of the car and he has a lot of meetings with his engineers in Faenza to get a better picture about everything, to get a better feeling, also in the car, what’s going on and to get a better understanding. This is the work which you have to do with a rookie driver in the first year.”
That is what they are for at the end of the day. AlphaTauri is in a battle with Alpine for fifth in the constructors’ championship. Tsunoda had a spirited drive to ninth at COTA and made it into Q3 in Mexico to assist Pierre Gasly, even though he is to start from the back. More of such performances over the remaining races will prove he deserved to be retained for 2022. With the help and guidance from Albon a positive pointer in the right direction.
The story was written by Neil Farrell
Here’s what was said on Saturday of F1 Mexico GP
