Honda protege Yuki Tsunoda to get first F1 run in 2018 car at Imola
Yuki Tsunoda will get his first experi🍷ence of driving a Formula 1 car in a test running with a 2018 car at Imola, AlphaTauri has confirmed.
The Honda-backed protege’s planned run at Imola is scheduled for 4 November, three days✃ after thꦕe Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at the former San Marino Grand Prix venue.
After his first taste of driving F1 machinery, Tsunoda will then take part in the post-season young driver t꧋est in Abu Dhabi in December, driving AlphaTauri’s 2020ꦆ challenger.
Tsunoda visited AlphaTauri’s Faenza-based factory on Wedn🅰esday to complete a seat fit in p💜reparation for his maiden F1 test at Imola.
That first taste of an F1 car
— Scuderia AlphaTauri (@AlphaTauriF1)
We have with us in Faenza for a seat fit!
Getting preppeওd for a previous car outing at Imol꧙a on the 4th of November
The 20-year-old Japanese racer has enjoyed a stellar r🍬ookie Formula 2 campaign and sits third in the championship heading into the final four races of the season in Bahrain, having won two races.
Red Bull is currently evaluating whether to promote Tsunoda to AlphaTauri’s 2021 F1 line-up after being impresse𒁃d by his performances in F2.
Honda’s decision to pull out of F1 at the end of next season left a question mark over its 🍸young driver development programme - which is run in partnership with Red Bull - and the subsequent♉ future of Tsunoda.
Speaking at the Eifel Grand Prix last weekend, Alp🌠haTauri boss Franz Tost insisted that Honda's withdrawal will not impact Tsunoda’s chances of earning a graduation to F1 next year.
"Scuderia AlphaTauri has two fast d🥂rivers currently with Pierre Gasly and Daniil Kvyat,” Tost explained.
"We will do the y𓆏oung driver test day with Yuki Tsunoda. A♏nd this has nothing to do with the decision from Honda that they will not continue after 2021.
"The philosophy at Red Bull is always the performance. And he performs well, and he's doing a really good job, in Formula 2, he has won two races this year, in Spa and Silverstone if I remember r🦹ight.
🌱"And in Austria he was leading the race in the wet until a few laps because of radio problems he couldn't win tꦗhis race. He is doing a really good job, and this is decisive, the performance of the driver.
"And this was always the philosophy, and this will always stay like it is. And then we will see what Red Bull decides regarding the drivers for 202🍰1."
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