AlphaTauri at the break: disappointing

The AlphaTauri Scuderia is (very) disappointing. The results are far below expectations. They were capable of some brilliant performances in previous seasons, but this year, there is nothing of the sort, at least for now.

The best race

It is difficult to point out an excellent race achieved by Franz Tost’s men. Their best result so far is the Baku Grand Prix, where AlphaTauri managed to score 10 out of the 27 points they have this season. Pierre Gasly reached fifth place, taking advantage of the two Ferrari retirements. The Frenchman finished far behind the two Red Bulls and George Russell, who completed the podium. He also benefited from the retirements of direct competitors such as Magnussen and Zhou.

The worst race

The worst race of the season is surely Silverstone. While Gasly and Tsunoda were respectively in seventh and eighth place in the race, Yuki Tsunoda caused a collision with Pierre Gasly, sending both cars off the track. The Frenchman was forced to retire, and the Japanese driver finished in 14th place, considering that there were only 14 cars left on the track…

A progression?

It is difficult to assess any progress within the Italian team as both drivers seem inconsistent this season. However, it appears that the improvements made are not working, as they have finished the last 5 Grand Prix races without scoring a single point. In addition to that, there have been driving errors or incidents during the races. The car doesn’t seem to be fast in a single lap, as they are struggling and have to fight to hope to make it into Q2 on Saturdays.

Reliability compared to the rest of the field

AlphaTauri also cannot rely on a very reliable car, although it is not to be pitied compared to Ferrari-powered teams. However, it seems quite far from the best on the grid. Pierre Gasly even decided to incur a penalty in the last Grand Prix after an engine change.

The pilot’s duel.

Yuki Tsunoda started the season quite well with 10 points scored in the first 4 races despite not participating in Jeddah. However, he ultimately faltered as the season progressed. He finished last in Silverstone, had two retirements, and apart from a 13th place in Baku, he always finished at the back of the pack in the last seven races. The Japanese driver managed to make it to Q3 three times this season and also scored points (23%). He also suffered from reliability issues, with 2 retirements and a Grand Prix where he couldn’t start the race. Tsunoda missed 23% of the Grand Prix races this season.

On the French side, apart from a fifth place in Baku, there isn’t much to be satisfied with either. Three retirements this season, just like his teammate. The Hungarian Grand Prix extended his streak of weekends without scoring points to 5. What’s worse, he has only scored points once in the last 10 races… Eliminated in Q1 in the last two Grand Prix, what used to be his strength in placing his car in the points last year seems to be a weakness now. The Frenchman has reached Q3 30.7% of the time this season and has finished 3 races out of 13 (23%) in the top 10.

Here is a summary table of the driver duel at AlphaTauri where Pierre Gasly has the advantage despite two lackluster weekends.

Position in the championship

Here is the table of the constructors’ standings where AlphaTauri is currently in 8th place.