AlphaTauri star’s new contract will be announced by Red Bull this week.

A report in Germany claims that AlphaTauri is prepared to extend Yuki Tsunoda’s contract through 2024 before the Japanese Grand Prix.

According to the German publication Auto Motor und Sport, the young driver will enter his home race with a seat on the grid secured for the upcoming season despite having a largely underwhelming 2023.

Tsunoda and the team have endured a string of disappointing outcomes this season, and his retirement from the Singapore Grand Prix last weekend was the latest in that string.
In contrast, his new teammate Liam Lawson was able to pull off a strong P9 finish and earn his first Formula 1 point.

For the first 15 races of the season, AlphaTauri has used three different driver lineups, but they still only have five points to their name and are currently last in the constructors’ standings.

With the exception of the Italian Grand Prix, where he did not start, Tsunoda, 23, has participated in every race for the team despite having only three points so far this season.

Despite this, it seems Red Bull is willing to give the Japanese driver one more year to prove himself.

According to Auto Motor und Sport, “Mick Schumacher’s door at AlphaTauri is also closed.”.

It was never really open, to be more precise. The 2024 contract extension with Yuki Tsunoda ought to have already been publicized in Suzuka.
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Lucky to have another year, Tsunoda?

The choice between the three drivers presented a little difficulty for AlphaTauri.

As Lawson continues to put forth an impressive case for 2024, the reported news of Tsunoda’s renewal may come as a bit of a shock.

Lawson has stepped in and outperformed third-year driver Tsunoda as Daniel Ricciardo, who earlier this season took Nyck de Vries’ place on the team, is out with a broken hand.

If his contract with AlphaTauri is extended, there will only be two open spots on the grid for 2024, as Williams and the Faenza-based team have not yet decided who will be Tsunoda’s teammate or whether to extend Logan Sargeant’s contract by another year.