(Motorsports news) AlphaTauri’s Tsunoda started the Yas Marina race sixth, helped by floor changes to the AT04, and he maintained that position in the early laps, moving up the order as the leaders pitted. Tsunoda led the race for five laps after Charles Leclerc entered the race, at which point he made his first and only late stop.
He was only the second driver from Japan to lead a grand prix, following Takuma Sato’s brief victory at the Nurburgring in 2004. On the final day of team principal Franz Tost’s tenure, Williams would have lost P7 in the constructors’ world title if sixth had prevailed. Tsunoda, however, finished behind Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso in the end and finished seventh, which was insufficient.
Tsunoda continued, saying that when Alphatauri was having form issues early in the season, a scenario like this could not have even been considered. He responded, “I gave it everything,” when asked about it. “To tell the truth, I had no idea that I was in the lead. Thus, I’m a little taken aback by it. Looking back, we never considered that we would be at the front of the pack during the early part of the season.
This is a huge privilege, and we couldn’t have accomplished this much without working together. It was insane how much AlphaTauri pushed this year; we had upgrades in practically every event. They are deserving of it. Additionally, I was unable to give Franz the greatest gift, but at least I tried my best, I hope. And I expressed my gratitude for him by giving at least a performance.”
Most drivers followed a two-stop strategy because of higher-than-expected tyre deterioration during the first part of the weekend; Tsunoda’s AlphaTauri was the lone notable exception. “It was the plan, but we knew that it was going to be difficult,” he said. “We were sort of hearing what the tires had to say. “It helps that they hung on rather well during the first spell. And in my opinion, that was a crucial turning point.
“In the end, the strategy itself worked out well. I’m not sure whether we can finish P6, even if I used the exact same plan as the best teams. Thus, I don’t believe we have any regrets. The squad’s late-season success, Tsunoda emphasized, portends well for 2024, when Laurent Mekies will take over as manager and the team will get a new name. “I think what we did in Abu Dhabi with upgrades is kind of the philosophy for next year as well,” he stated.
“And it’s encouraging for next year as well if these enhancements are successful. We do, however, have some encouraging news and solid statistics. Thus, we don’t stop doing what we’ve been doing. Evidently, not enough as of yet. But I am aware that a lot will need to change in the upcoming year for AlphaTauri. And maybe that would help us go forward.”
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