According to a report in Germany, AlphaTauri is ready to offer Yuki Tsunoda a new contract for 2024 ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.
German publication Auto Motor und Sport reports the young driver will approach his home race with a confirmed seat on the grid for next season, despite a largely unimpressive 2023.
His retirement from last weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix was the latest in a long string of miserable results for Tsunoda and the team this season, while new teammate Liam Lawson managed to secure a solid P9 to take his first points in Formula 1.
AlphaTauri tried three separate driver combinations in 2023, but still managed just five points from the first 15 races of the season and finished last in the Constructors’ Championship. Tsunoda has just three points so far this season and, apart from the Italian Grand Prix where he did not start, the 23-year-old has competed in all of the team’s races.
However, it seems that Red Bull is willing to give the Japanese driver another year to prove himself.
“The door to AlphaTauri is also closed [for Mick Schumacher],” Auto Motor und Sport revealed.
Tsunoda fortunate to get another year?
“To be more precise, it never actually opened. Yuki Tsunoda’s contract extension until 2024 should have been announced at Suzuka.”
News of Tsunoda’s renewal may come as a shock as Lawson continues to build on its impressive performance for 2024. With Daniel Ricciardo – who replaced Nyck de Vries in the team earlier this season – sidelined with a broken arm, Lawson stepped up and performed better than third-year driver Tsunoda.
His contract extension with AlphaTauri means there will then be just two extra seats left to fill on the 2024 grid, with the Faenza-based team yet to decide who Tsunoda’s team-mate will be and Williams being waiting to make a final decision on whether or not Logan Sargeant will get another year.