F2 superstar Yuki Tsunoda has been finally announced as Daniil Kvyat's replacement at Alpha Tauri for 2021.
16/12/20
Formula One's worst kept secret has been finally confirmed with the 20 year old Japanese driver making his F1 debut next year at Alpha Tauri alongside Pierre Gasly.
Tsunoda, who won three F2 races en route to third in the standings, will be the first Japanese driver to compete in F1 since Kaumi Kobayashi in 2014.
The Honda-backed driver, who only started to race in Europe two years ago, will replace Daniil Kvyat for next year.
“Like most racing drivers, it has always been my goal to race in Formula 1, so I am very happy with this news."
Tsunoda, who sampled this year's Alpha Tauri at the end of season test in Abu Dhabi, gained enough points in F2 to earn a super licence enabling him to race next year.
He is the third driver from the F2 feeder series to make the jump to F1 next year after Champion Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin were announced at Haas F1.
Brit and F2 runner-up Callum Ilott was announced on Tuesday as Ferrari's Test Driver for next year.
With the announcement of Tsunoda at Alpha Tauri, it just leaves one seat left to be confirmed next year. That seat is alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull. Incumbent Alexander Albon's performances this year, compared to Verstappen, has not been as close as Red Bull would have wanted.
It's rumoured that Sergio Perez, an F1 winner after 190 race starts at the Sakhir GP, will partner Verstappen with Albon spending a year on the sidelines.
An announcement is to be made sometime in the next couple of weeks.