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With simply over two months of the System 1 season remaining – however a variety of racing nonetheless to go – it’s solely pure that the 2024 foolish season would kick into full swing round this time of 12 months.
Nonetheless, so most of the 20 seats out there on the 2024 grid have already been stuffed, with probably champions Purple Bull sticking with their two drivers from 2023 together with Ferrari, Mercedes, Alpine, McLaren and Aston Martin doing the identical.
Actually, there’s solely one of many 10 groups who wouldn’t have a minimum of one driver below contract to race with them for 2024: AlphaTauri.
A number of unknowns dangle over Purple Bull’s second workforce in 2024. Not simply what their id shall be, however who will drive for them.
AlphaTauri is exclusive on the grid as they’re the one workforce which exists as a growth floor for one more – on this case, Purple Bull. Whereas different groups like Haas or Williams have robust relationships with bigger groups like Ferrari and Mercedes, solely AlphaTauri are operated to not try to win championship titles however to nurture driving expertise.
Subsequent season, Purple Bull can have an intriguing selection of drivers for his or her workforce at the moment often known as AlphaTauri. Yuki Tsunoda is about to achieve the tip of his third season with the workforce – often the essential threshold for Purple Bull to determine whether or not to advertise or launch a driver from their junior workforce. However outgoing workforce principal Franz Tost has indicated the 23-year-old shall be given a fourth consecutive season with the workforce in 2024.
In the meantime, after dropping Nyck de Vries earlier than the mid season, AlphaTauri introduced again Daniel Ricciardo into the workforce. Nonetheless, the 33-year-old was taken out of motion at Zandvoort when he broke his hand in a observe crash.
Liam Lawson was due to this fact referred to as up because the fourth completely different driver to seem for AlphaTauri this 12 months. Has he due to this fact joined the ranks of potential racers for 2024?
So who ought to Purple Bull select out of the three to race for his or her junior workforce in 2024? And what about a few of their different choices in System 2?
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The candidates
Purple Bull’s junior programme is nothing if not in depth, boasting the largest roster of affiliated drivers in F2 of any of the groups with no fewer than six F2 drivers in 2023 having the backing of the world champions. Jak Crawford, Enzo Fittipaldi, Isack Hadjar, Dennis Hauger, Ayumu Iwasa and Zane Maloney all symbolize the Purple Bull junior programme within the official feeder sequence to the world championship.
Of these six, two are all however assured to not race in System 1 subsequent 12 months as they lack the 40 required superlicence factors to qualify. Crawford (21 factors) and Fittipaldi (14 factors) won’t qualify for 2023 even when they take most factors from the ultimate spherical of the season at Abu Dhabi in November. Nonetheless Hadjar, Hauger and Maloney will all find yourself on 38 factors – just below the brink – if they arrive out of Abu Dhabi in the identical championship positions they arrive there in.
Whereas all three may cross 40 factors in the event that they take a significant factors haul from Abu Dhabi, any of them may additionally achieve two bonus factors in the event that they take part in two Friday observe periods and canopy a minimum of 100 kilometres in every, with out incurring any penalty factors within the course of. So if Purple Bull actually did need to promote ether Hadjar, Hauger or Maloney for 2024, there’s a path to get them on the grid.
In the meantime, Iwasa has already earned sufficient factors to qualify for a superlicence because of his achievements over the past three years and at the moment sits third within the F2 standings – the identical place that each Lawson and Alfa Romeo driver Zhou Guanyu completed in earlier than they finally stepped as much as F1 the next season.
Alternatively, Purple Bull may deliver again Tsunoda for a fourth 12 months and even Ricciardo after his comeback to F1 was reduce shorter than deliberate. But when Lawson continues to indicate his competency behind the wheel, there’s at all times the choice to provide the New Zealand driver a full season entry in System 1 to see how he fares.
Lastly, there’s at all times the choice of bringing again the motive force they ran for the primary ten rounds of the 2023 season: Nyck de Vries. Whereas extremely unlikely, it’s not like Purple Bull have by no means introduced again former drivers into AlphaTauri earlier than…
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I say
The selection of which two drivers Purple Bull ought to run for AlphaTauri subsequent season is determined by their objectives. Do they need the strongest line up of drivers potential to attain the most effective outcomes and essentially the most factors they’ll, or do they need to take a look at out two of their youthful prospects by placing them within the final testing floor of System 1?
If it’s the previous they’re after, then the obvious mixture can be Tsunoda and Ricciardo – the 2 most skilled choices. With Sergio Perez’s place in Purple Bull for 2025 and past coming below query, subsequent season may nicely turn out to be a straight shoot-out between the pair to determine which might be deserving of that second seat alongside Max Verstappen – one beforehand occupied by Ricciardo himself.
If nurturing younger expertise is the plan, then Lawson has a golden alternative to stake his declare for a seat throughout his substitution stint. Whereas Tsunoda is barely 23 and clearly not the completed package deal, there’s an argument that protecting him on the workforce for a fourth season over giving Iwasa a shot can be to waste a possibility to see if the youthful Japanese driver can be any higher than the older one. Nonetheless, with Purple Bull’s future not tied to Honda, it could possibly be that Lawson will show the extra engaging possibility – particularly when he’ll have already got a number of races below his belt.
Finally, what Purple Bull will probably need is a mixture of expertise and potential of their two drivers. So, with that in thoughts, certainly the most effective mixture out there can be a a number of grand prix winner in Ricciardo and a driver who deserves a shot at a full season in Lawson.
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You say
Who ought to drive for AlphaTauri subsequent 12 months? Solid your votes under and have your say within the feedback.
Which two drivers ought to the present AlphaTauri workforce run in 2024? (Select two)
- Nyck de Vries (0%)
- Yuki Tsunoda (16%)
- Daniel Ricciardo (28%)
- Zane Maloney (if he qualifies) (1%)
- Liam Lawson (43%)
- Ayumu Iwasa (11%)
- Dennis Hauger (if he qualifies) (1%)
- Isack Hadjar (if he qualifies) (0%)
Complete Voters: 43
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