Another day, another two F1 seats for 2024 – confirmed! Though, this one may come as a little bit of a surprise. Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo will continue their partnership with AlphaTauri next season.
Yuki made his F1 debut with the team at the start of 2021, but after partnering with Pierre Gasly for his first two seasons, he’s had three different teammates this year.
At the start of 2023, it was believed that this season would be a bit of a make-or-break year for Tsunoda, and despite only scoring three points so far, it appears Red Bull is willing to give him another year to prove himself.
remaining consistent in 2024 👊 we're very happy to announce that Yuki, Daniel and Liam will continue with the team into next year 🙌 pic.twitter.com/qZ2NarlZIS
— Scuderia AlphaTauri (@AlphaTauriF1) September 23, 2023
Daniel Ricciardo returned to F1 mid-season to replace a struggling Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri. Unfortunately, he only competed in two races before breaking his hand during FP2 in Zandvoort in contact with the barrier.
The decision to re-sign Tsunoda and Ricciardo can’t have been easy with F1 rookie Liam Lawson lingering over their shoulders. Lawson came in to replace Daniel whilst he recovers, and at the Singapore GP, he took home his first set of points in just his third race.
Talking about his contract renewal, Yuki said: “I’m looking forward to continuing to fight and collaborate with the team and Daniel. Obviously, I’ll push as much as possible for the rest of the season and beyond to progress as a driver. I’m grateful for Red Bull and Honda for continuing to support and believe in me.”
Daniel shared the sentiments: “I’m stoked to be driving with Yuki again next year and continuing my journey with Scuderia AlphaTauri. Following the progress we have already made and the plans for the future, it’s an exciting time for the team – bring on 2024!”
This news is just another piece complete in the not-so-silly season puzzle, and it leaves only one more seat to fill on the 2024 grid. Now, we’re just waiting for Williams to decide who will partner Alex Albon. Might that be Lawson?
Is this the right AlphaTauri driver pairing for 2024? Let us know in the comments below!
