Scuderia AlphaTauri reveals AT02

Published on 19 February 2021 by Johan Peeters

Scuderia AlphaTauri has today unveiled its 2021 car – the AT02 – in an all-new matte blue and white livery, alongside its drivers Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda. The launch – held at AlphaTauri’s new showroom in Salzburg, Austria, and presented digitally – saw Red Bull’s premium fashion brand model its Autumn/Winter 2021 collection together with the team’s new-look for the upcoming 2021 Formula 1 season.

After a successful first season racing in the AlphaTauri colours, the Italian outfit is looking to challenge the top of the ultra-competitive midfield in 2021, putting its faith in the new pairing. Since debuting with the team in 2017, Gasly has earned two F1 podiums – including a spectacular maiden win at Monza in 2020 – meaning his experience with the team will allow him to step-up to a team leader role. Joining the Frenchman will be 20-year-old Tsunoda, the first Japanese driver to race in F1 since 2014. His promotion to F1 comes off the back of a fast, four-season trajectory; from winning the 2018 F4 Japanese Championship and finishing third in the 2020 FIA F2 Championship to entering the top-level ranks this year. Expectations are high for his rapid style of learning to complement the experience of Gasly.

“The decision to go for Pierre and Yuki in 2021 was taken because Scuderia AlphaTauri’s philosophy is still to give talented young drivers from the Red Bull Junior Program the opportunity to step up to F1 and to educate them – this is why Yuki now gets his chance,” explained Team Principal, Franz Tost. “With Pierre on Yuki’s side we have an experienced driver, who can help our Japanese rookie to develop faster, but at the same time we can aim for good results. I think this pair is the best possible scenario to achieve both our targets, and I’m also confident this will be a successful one.”