Yuki Tsunoda offers new AlphaTauri name suggestion as closer Red Bull ties loom

Henry Valantine 30 Jun 2023 8:30 AM

AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda listening to instructions. Barcelona, Spain June 2023.

AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda has spoken about the upcoming changes at the team for the 2024 season, with closer ties with Red Bull set to take hold.

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko confirmed previously that some of the team’s operations are likely to move over from their Faenza base in Italy to the UK, andrevealed this weekthat new sponsors and a new name is likely for the 2024 season.

This is all part of Red Bull’s plan to bring AlphaTauri as close as possible to the Red Bull brand again, with Marko saying he wants the team to “follow Red Bull Racing as far as the regulations allow” in future.

How should AlphaTauri be rebranded? Simple: ‘Team Yuki’

When talking about the upcoming changes at AlphaTauri, Tsunoda was talking to the official Formula 1 website in the TV pen and was asked for his suggestion over a new name, with which he replied with a smile: “Team Yuki.”

And regarding the team’s future, Tsunoda believes that the changes are somewhat overdue given their recent struggles, with AlphaTauri having fallen to ninth in the Constructors’ Championship last year, and they currently sit last in this year’s standings after Alex Albon lifted Williams off the bottom in Canada.

While Tsunoda and Nyck de Vries are not cut adrift in terms of outright performance in their car, he hopes that bringing the team into closer alignment with the factory base at Red Bull will only serve to improve it for the future.

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“I think especially as a performance side that we saw the last two years was not really in the place that we wanted, especially last year,” Tsunoda said toSky Sports F1.

“I think we probably thought that we need to change something, I think they gave us a chance, one more year, and they didn’t improve much.

“I think it’s a good thing anyway having a lot more connection between Red Bull and AlphaTauri, probably it should be like that from three years ago.

“I’m feeling optimistic, I think stronger connection with Red Bull should be better overall.”