Yuki Tsunoda’s Revelation on Daniel Ricciardo’s Inspiring Presence Points at Golden F1 Future for AlphaTauri

AlphaTauri was the only team this season to field more than two drivers in this championship. Thanks to the sacking of Nyck de Vries, and Ricciardo’s crash in Zandvoort, the Faenza-based team had to field four drivers this season.

However, Yuki Tsunoda was the sole constant for the team throughout the season. Now, with Daniel Ricciardo’s presence in the team, Yuki Tsunoda feels that AlphaTauri has found the golden ticket for better days.

Yuki Tsunoda heaps praise on Daniel Ricciardo

Speaking to Grande Premio recently, Yuki Tsunoda feels that Daniel Ricciardo is just what AlphaTauri needs for a better 2024. The feedback and the inputs that Daniel Ricciardo offers to the team are truly invaluable.

“I think the team feels more confident in Daniel’s feedback. He has a lot of experience, you can understand, he has a lot of knowledge of teams he’s been in and how they work, so his feedback is possibly more valuable than that of the other drivers. I think it’s a good thing, and I’m also in that direction. Daniel showed good performance in the last two races and the team can trust him too,” said the young Japanese driver.

He also feels that Daniel Ricciardo is an amazing teammate for him, even though they are both drivers with different styles. “Daniel is a very good driver and gives good ideas to the team. He is good for the team and for me, although we have very different driving styles and different perspectives, which is probably not very easy for the team. But it makes the team receive a lot of information, data, and ideas on how to evolve and develop for the future. He is a good pairing for AlphaTauri.”

Read more: Is Daniel Ricciardo the Right Replacement for Sergio Perez?

With Ricciardo’s presence, the team already managed to bring in major updates, which enabled them to leapfrog Haas and Alfa Romeo in the championship. The Australian would be hoping that Red Bull thinks that he would be more useful as a Red Bull driver, as compared to being the lead driver in AlphaTauri.

Daniel Ricciardo’s hopes for a Red Bull call-up

With Ricciardo coming up with solid results for Red Bull’s sister team, he has a pretty solid chance of getting a Red Bull call-up next season. He has the whole of 2024 to prove to Red Bull that he is better than Sergio Perez, and can do a better job to help secure Red Bull the championship.

If Sergio Perez’s qualifying form continues, things might just get easier for the Honey Badger. Especially with future talents like Liam Lawson knocking on the doors, there are going to be a lot of interesting moves at the end of the 2024 season.

WATCH THIS STORY: Will Daniel Ricciardo Get Swapped in for Sergio Perez at Red Bull? 

In fact, as many as 15 drivers run out of contracts at the end of the year. Apart from Max Verstappen, George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris, and Oscar Piastri, the rest of the drivers have no contracts yet for the 2025 season. Only time will tell how many changes we will be seeing next year.