AlphaTauri: Ricciardo and Tsunoda must focus on 'here and now'

AlphaTauri CEO Peter Bayer believes a healthy emulation between Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda will keep the pair focused on the “here and now” in 2024 rather than on their prospects of a potential promotion to Red Bull.

Both Ricciardo and Tsunoda have made it clear that their prime ambition this season is to perform to the best of their ability to target the coveted seat of Sergio Perez at Red Bull Racing for 2025.

But the Mexican is also determined to pull out the stops to retain his plum drive with the championship winning outfit alongside Max Verstappen.

Furthermore, Red Bull junior and reserve driver Liam Lawson, who substituted quite remarkably for Ricciardo in five races last year, and who many believe deserved a promotion to a full-time seat for this season, has been all but guaranteed a drive in 2025 by Helmut Marko.

The Red Bull motorsport boss even suggested recently that the Kiwi could find himself on the grid once again as soon as this season, although it’s unclear what circumstances – save for a Red Bull driver drastically underperforming or becoming suddenly unavailable – would lead to such an opportunity.

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While there will be a lot of moving parts at Red Bull in 2024 given the stakes related to 2025, Bayer says that Ricciardo and Tsunoda must focus first and foremost on the job at hand rather than on their future potential prospects.

“We, as the Red Bull family, are known for high expectations, and we’re also known for making decisions, even halfway through a season if we have to,” Bayer explained, talking to Speedcafe.

“There is this push and pull, this synergy, something that works for the team, for the mechanics, for everyone.

“If you do well in the junior team…and we’re always trying to move away from that, to be a proper Formula 1 team, but we have a lot of juniors pushing, like Liam, for example. He did a tremendous job, and it was a very difficult decision.

“So these two guys also know that if things don’t work out, we’ll have Liam waiting. Of course, they also know if they do super well there might be an opportunity.

“So I think that push-and-pull effect should lead to them focusing on the here and now, which I think they do a lot, honestly.”

Based on Ricciardo and Tsunoda’s evenly matched performances last season, their push to impress Red Bull’s top brass is expected to be a close contest.

“They will have to show every single race that they’re able to deliver, that they’re fast, dedicated, that they’re on it,” added Bayer.

“It’s down to making sure that they deliver on a daily basis, on a weekly basis, and that when you’re here, you collaborate with the team.

“But it’s important to leave them to it, and I truly believe they are 100 percent focused on the here and now.”

Despite his limited number of races with AlphaTauri last season, Ricciardo made his mark on the Faena-based squad and impressed Bayer.

“First of all, he’s a very experienced driver,” he said. “He helped us with setup – tremendously! His feedback on setup is very precise.

“It’s not like he would say ‘I have an issue with the balance’. He will tell you there’s an issue with the rear in turn x, y, z, that he’s hitting the pedal and there’s something that doesn’t feel right, and asking the engineers to have a look.

“They will immediately look at the data and see there’s something with the differential or something like that, so he’s helping us a lot, and we can then translate that onto Yuki’s car, and it usually helps him.

“They have a slightly different driving style but in terms of the setup of the car, it’s helpful.”

Beyond his technical knowledge, the F1 veteran’s strategy experience is also a precious asset for the team on race day.

“He will see something on track, that he’s stuck in a DRS train or something, that the car is not performing in a certain situation, and he will ask to pit to get some free air, so that experience is also helping us,” added Bayer.

“He has also brought a lot of positive new energy to the team. He will cheer everyone up. He has been brilliant with that.

“Also, what I think is personally very, very important is that he is a true reference for Yuki.

“I also think, and maybe I shouldn’t say it, but Yuki needs that because he’s not yet a number one driver, and I think it helps him to have a more experienced driver with him.

“In fairness, we don’t have a number one. We have these two guys, one a bit more experienced, the other young and very fast.

“But at the same time, it helps him to position himself, to understand that, ‘Okay, I can still learn from this guy, even if I’m sometimes quicker’.”

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