Season debrief: A hectic final season for the AlphaTauri name
- mallikarull
- Jan 28, 2024
- 3 min read
Alphatauri faced an eventful final season under the AlphaTauri name. earlier this week it was announced that AlphaTauri would be changing the name to Visa Cash app RB racing. The ATO4 made a trivial debut, with an underwhelming performance in testing in Bahrain, followed by a poor start to the season, starting the season at the back of the grid with one of the worst cars on the grid.
With a new driver line up, following the departure of Pierre Gasly, Nyk De Vries stepped up from Formula E to partner Yuki Tsunoda. This would be the first of three driver pairings throughout the season. De Vries made a step forward in his career that would be short run, ending after the British Grand Prix, the tenth round of the season.
Image: motorsport.com
Nyk De Vries had the grids attention after the 2022 Italian Grand Prix, where he replaced Alex Albon in the Williams, completing his F1 debut in the points. After a Steller first race in F1, many had expected De Vries to contain that performance going into the 2023 season, as the first 10 races passed, it was an underwhelming start to the season, ultimately leading to the decision by AlphaTauri to terminate De Vries contract, opening the door for a return by a crowd favourite…
Image: motorsport.com
Following the British Grand Prix, Daniel Ricciardo was announced to be the replacement for Nyk De Vries. Ricciardo started the season as a reserve for sister company Red Bull but made a comeback to the sport much quicker than most had expected. Ricciardo making a full circle in his career, returning to the team he debuted with back in 2011. Ricciardo jumped straight back into action at the Hungarian Grand Prix, finishing just outside the points in P13, finishing ahead of Tsunoda in P15.
Following the summer break, an accident during FP2 would see Ricciardo miss the upcoming 5 races with a wrist injury. This would be the opportunity for reserve driver, Liam Lawson to make a step up in his career and impress. Lawson did just that, putting the pressure on Tsunoda as the young Kiwi was quick to get up to speed in the ATO4.
Image: motorsport.com
In the wet conditions in the Netherlands, Lawson made an impressive start in F1, finishing in P13 ahead of Tsunoda in P15. Lawson would put in another stellar performance in Singapore, finishing inside the points. Tsunoda would go onto beat Lawson 3-2 in Qualifying (excluding Monza, where Tsunoda would be forced to retire during the formation lap), but Lawson would be the won to lead when it mattered, beating Tsunoda 3-1 in race battles.
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