Yuki Tsunoda has been formally confirmed to take part in F1 Young Driver test in Abu Dhabi with AlphaTauri as W Series reveals 2021 calendar.
While it is not the confirmation of a F1 drive for 2021, Tsunoda has been formally announced to take part in the post-2020 Young Driver test in Abu Dhabi on December 15. The team had all intentions to have him for the past few months.
He also took part in a special 2018 F1 car test in Imola, where Red Bull and AlphaTauri wanted to assess his feedback. Since then, he has ended up third in the 2020 F2 season, taking the rookie honours along with a superlicense to be eligible to race in 2021.
“I am really looking forward to testing with Scuderia AlphaTauri,” said Tsunoda. “I enjoyed driving one of the team’s 2018 cars at Imola a few weeks back and I can’t wait to try the current car, taking part in an official test session with all the other cars on track.
“I really appreciate how everyone at Scuderia AlphaTauri has helped me to prepare for this session, and I also want to thank Red Bull and Dr. Marko for giving me this opportunity. During the session, my focus will be on following the team’s instructions and giving my feedback to the engineers.
“It will also be a chance for me to learn as much as possible and help my own personal development,” summed up Tsunoda, as team boss Franz Tost added: “Yuki showed at the test in Imola that he is a fast learner, able to easily get familiar with the car and was able to constantly improve every lap, so we decided to have him test with us at the Young Driver Test on the Tuesday after the race.
“I’m convinced he will make a good step forward having a full day in the car, and this time he will be driving the AT01, so his feedback will be even more valuable for our engineers. It’s great to see that the Red Bull Driver Programme can prepare young drivers so well, and I have no doubts he will prove his talent once again.”
Here’s what Yuki Tsunoda said about good drivers
W Series reveals F1 calendar for 2021:
Having confirmed that W Series will be part of the F1 support calendar from 2021 onward, the series has now revealed its calendar consisting of five European and two flyaway events – it is a mix of F2 and F3 events that will be support of.
The F3 events that it will take part alongside are France (June 26), Austria (July 3), Hungary (July 31), Belgium (August 28), Netherlands (September 4) and USA (October 23). The lone F2 event will be UK (July 17), whereas Mexico (October 30) is standalone.
Here’s the 2021 W Series calendar:
26 June Le Castellet, France
3 July Spielberg, Austria
17 July
31 July Budapest, Hungary
28 August Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
4 September Zandvoort, Netherlands
23 October Austin, USA
30 October Mexico City, Mexico
“The prospect of seeing W Series race alongside Formula 1, the world’s premier motor racing series, has become even more tantalising as a result of today’s announcement of our 2021 race calendar,” said Catherine Muir Bond.
“The eight races will allow our fast and fearless female racing drivers to showcase their skills on some of the world’s most iconic racing circuits, in Europe and the Americas, and literally follow in the tyre tracks of the greatest racing drivers in the world today.
“W Series’ mission will always be to further the interests and prospects of female racing drivers, and to inspire girls and women everywhere. Our 2021 race schedule in partnership with Formula 1 will significantly increase our global reach, impact and influence by placing
“W Series on motor racing’s greatest stage and taking us to new audiences and territories. Our drivers are ready and raring to race and entertain, and the 2021 season curtain-raiser in France next June cannot come soon enough.”
At the same time, Ross Brawn added: “We are delighted to announce the eight Formula 1 races that W Series will join in 2021. There is a really exciting mix of circuits that will showcase the exceptional talent of the drivers in the series.
“We believe that it is incredibly important to give everyone the chance to reach the highest levels of our sport, and partnering with W Series shows our determination and commitment to building greater diversity across Formula 1.”
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