AlphaTauri have established themselves as a consistent midfield team in recent years, with Pierre Gasly especially helping the team to regular point scoring finishes.
The team racked up 142 points in 2021 and finished in sixth place, however in 2022 under the new regulations, the team amassed a measly 35 points and finished in ninth.
While Gasly and his teammate Yuki Tsunoda have shown their undoubted talent at times, the team have not been able to provide a car worthy of points scoring finishes in the new era of F1, and after Red Bull were found guilty of a minor overspend of the 2021 cost cap, AlphaTauri boss Franz Tost has made a shocking revelation about the cap.
“The car wasn’t good enough,” admitted Tost, when asked about his team’s performance in 2022.
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“We had problems with development, which also had to do with the budget cap. We thought we were over it before the FIA gave the all-clear.
“Development had already slowed down so the performance remained below expectations. I don’t expect any problems next year.”
The team will have an interesting dynamic in 2023, as Pierre Gasly is set to depart for Alpine, with Nyck de Vries coming in to replace the Frenchman.
Having only driven in one Grand Prix as a reserve driver, De Vries will still be categorised as a rookie in 2023, while Yuki Tsunoda, who is five years younger than him, is entering his third season in the sport.
This means that the significantly younger driver will be the race experienced team leader, while the older rookie, who has spent time learning from Mercedes, will start as the understudy.
Tost has admitted that he is expecting a lot from his new driver, suggesting that the winter break will be used to get De Vries in the best possible condition for the start of the season.
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“Provided that our car works, I expect a lot from him,” said the team principal.
“We will prepare him well. We still have two tyre tests and one private test before the official Formula 1 tests come, se he will have covered 3,000 to 4,000km by the start of the season.
The Red Bull sister team will hope to be able to fight higher up the grid once again next year, after a slow start under the new regulations.