AlphaTauri had a fantastic 2020 season in Formula 1. They only won the second race in the team’s history at Monza. Pierre Gasly’s performance was excellent as the car complemented his driving style.
Your 2021 challenger has a similar DNA to last season’s car. It has good driving behavior with compliant handling at the same time. This year the team starts with the young Japanese rookie Yuki Tsunoda, who accompanies Pierre Gasly.
Team: AlphaTauri
Strengthen
Alpha Tauri has inherited some of the characteristics of the AT01. Photo: Joe Portlock / Getty Images.
AlphaTauri has maintained its challenger’s strengths for 2020. The AT01 was a beautiful car that offered smooth handling and a decent overall pace. The car achieved great results in the hands of Pierre Gasly.
The pre-season test found that the car saw an increase in performance in 2021 while maintaining the driveability and driveability of last year.
weaknesses
Yuki Tsunoda could potentially leave Pierre Gasly behind. The young Japanese rookie is an extremely aggressive driver. Trevor Carlin, the owner of the F2 team that Tsunoda drove for last year, said the rookie had shades of Max Verstappen in him.
“As long as he’s not overwhelmed by the F1 environment, I see no reason why he shouldn’t do the same thing as Lando Norris. And maybe he has something of Max Verstappen in him.”
This could create potential problems for Pierre Gasly. The French have been known to crack under pressure and if Tsunoda can hit the ground beneath their feet, Gasly could be staring at a downward spiral for the remainder of the season.
The situation could be a headache for AlphaTauri as Red Bull insists on selecting talent from its young driver program. This has harmed AlphaTauri before, as Red Bull can switch drivers between teams whenever they want. If Tsunoda can outperform Gasly this season, AlphaTauri can come to terms with losing the young Japanese rookie.
Gasly was downgraded by Red Bull in 2019 after a hot start to the season for the French. And while he put together a stellar 2020 campaign, including a race win, that wasn’t enough for Red Bull. In the off-season, instead of promoting Pierre Gasly, they quickly signed Sergio Perez.
The Frenchman lives from the comfort of the team. He cannot use his abilities to the full when things go against him or when he is feeling the pressure of his teammate. If Tsunoda can consistently beat Gasly it could lead to poor performances for the Frenchman.
driver
Pierre Gasly
After being caught by Red Bull, Pierre Gasly showed his true potential in 2020. He put in some outstanding performances throughout the season while combining his amazing pace with consistency.
His win at the Italian Grand Prix was the highlight of the season for many reasons. Monza is AlphaTauri’s home race and it won after taking enormous pressure from Carlos Sainz Jr.
The Frenchman put his skills to the test in the AlphaTauri last year and another strong year could prompt Red Bull to change the driver line-up.
Yuki Tsunoda
Yuki Tsunoda is the “pocket dynamite” of Formula 1. In his first test before the season, Tsunoda impressed the paddock with his speed and control.
The rookie had an impressive debut season in Formula 2 last year, which led Red Bull to give the young Japanese a chance. Yuki Tsunoda will have the chance to light up midfield in the AlphaTauri, just like Max Verstappen has done in the past.
Pre-season test form guide
According to Gary Anderson and Karun Chandhok, the AlphaTauri challenger has the potential to be in the top half of the midfield. The team completed its pre-season testing program smoothly and looked impressive every day.
AlphaTauri was also one of the few teams to try low-fuel runs in Bahrain and the car looked fast.
2021 Formula 1 season forecasts
If the pre-season test is to be taken seriously, AlphaTauri has a fast car in hand. The most important questions are whether the team can develop the car further in the season and whether it has the operational efficiency to compete with other midfield teams.
Most midfield teams looked equally good in the pre-season test. If this continues throughout the season, AlphaTauri’s relatively inexperienced rider line-up could be the downfall of the team.
Published 17 Mar 2021, 18:35 IST
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