Tsunoda completes test programme at Imola

AlphaTauri’s Japanese race driver Yuki Tsunoda, who will make his debut in Formula One this year, completed a two-day test programme at Imola with the Faenza-based squad.

AlphaTauri organized another test programme for Tsunoda at Imola’s Enzo e Dino Ferrari race track. The 20-year-old driver will be the first Japanese driver since Kamui Kobayashi ended his six-year spell in F1 at the end of 2014.

The team prepared its 2018 car for the test which was also used on 4 November when Tsunoda participated in his first F1 test on the same venue. While the first running was an evaluation test to check the Japanese’ skills, the latest running that took place over the last two days was aimed at helping his integration into the team.

The Sagamihara-born driver is part of the Honda Formula Dream Project. His single-seater career began in 2016 in the Japanese Formula 4 Championship which he won two years later. Following this success, he moved over to Europe in 2019 in order to compete in the FIA Formula 3 Championship with Jenzer Motorsport. At the same time, he also raced in the Euroformula Open Championship, finishing fourth at the end of the year.

After racing in the Toyota Racing series at the start of 2020, he competed in the FIA Formula 2 Championship. Although the first races proved to be challenging, he won the sprint race at Silverstone and added two more victories to his name at Spa and Bahrain. Tsunoda ended up third on 200 points behind champion Mick Schumacher and Callum Ilott.

AlphaTauri is expected to hit the track at Imola once again at the end of February, but, that time around, the team will run its 2021 challenger during a filming day. The 2021 FIA Formula One Championship is poised to get underway in Bahrain on 28 March which will be preceded by a three-day pre-season testing.