Yuki Tsunoda replaces Kvyat at AlphaTauri for 2021 F1 season
The AlphaTauri Formula 1 team has confirmed Yuki Tsunoda will partner Pierre Gasly in 2021, replacing Daniil Kvyat at Red Bull's sister team


The news has been expected for some weeks, with the Japanese driver having begun his preparations with an outing in a 2018 Toro Rosso at Imola last month.
He enjoyed his first run in the current car and on proper race tyres in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, setting the seventh best time of the day in the young driver test.
The 20-year-old, who is a protege of both Red Bull and Honda, will be the first Japanese driver to compete in F1 since Kamui Kobayashi in 2014.
Tsunoda made a big impact in the FIA Formula 3 series in 2019 with the unfancied Jenzer team, winning the sprint race at Monza.
He was fast-tracked into the Carlin Formula 2 team for this year and was a regular points scorer from the off.
He won feature races at Spa and Sakhir, and a sprint race at Silverstone, and after strong end to his rookie season he finished third in the championship.
Tsnuoda is highly regarded by Red Bull boss Helmut Marko, who told Autosport in Abu Dhabi: "I love him! His speed, the way he overtakes, but also how quickly he learns how to nurse the tyres, and all of that."
AlphaTauri boss Franz Tost says Tsunoda has already impressed the Faenza outfit.
"Red Bull has been following Yuki's career for a while now and I am sure he will be a great asset to our team," said the Austrian.
"Watching him in F2 this year, he has demonstrated the right mix of racing aggression and good technical understanding.

"During the test in Imola in November when he drove our 2018 car, his lap times were very consistent over a race simulation, he progressed throughout the day and gave our engineers useful feedback.
"In addition, his integration with the Honda engineers has been seamless, which certainly helps. At the test in Abu Dhabi this week, he proved to be a fast learner and that he is ready to make the step to F1."
Tsunoda said:"Like most racing drivers, it has always been my goal to race in F1, so I am very happy with this news.
"I want to thank Scuderia AlphaTauri, Red Bull and Dr Marko for giving me this opportunity, and of course everyone from Honda, for all their support so far in my career, giving me great opportunities to race in Europe.
"I must also thank the teams that I have raced with to get to this point, particularly Carlin, with whom I have learned so much this year.
"I realise that I will be carrying the hopes of a lot of Japanese F1 fans next year and I will be doing my best for them too."

Mazepin loses court battle over failed attempt to buy Force India
New lighting system to open up possibilities for more F1 night races

Latest news
Why the lack of “needle” between Red Bull and Ferrari in F1 2022 is a mirage
OPINION: The fight for the 2022 Formula 1 world titles between Red Bull and Ferrari so far features little of the public animosity that developed between the former and Mercedes last year. But that isn’t to say things are full on friendly or won’t get much worse very quickly…
The underdog F1 squad that thrust Senna into the limelight
The Toleman TG184 was the car that could, according to legend, have given Ayrton Senna his first F1 win but for Alain Prost and Jacky Ickx at Monaco in 1984. That could be stretching the boundaries of the truth a little, but as STUART CODLING explains, the team's greatest legacy was in giving the Brazilian prodigy passed over by bigger outfits an opportunity
Why Aston Martin is unlikely to repeat Jaguar’s F1 mistakes
Two famous manufacturer teams born out of humble midfield origins, splashing the cash while attempting to rise to the top of F1 in record time. There are clear parallels between Lawrence Stroll’s Aston Martin and the doomed Jaguar Racing project of 22 years ago, but MARK GALLAGHER believes struggling Aston can avoid a similar fate
How rejuvenated Haas recovered its F1 mojo
US-owned but until recently Russian-backed, Haas seems to have reached a turning point in car performance after three gruesome seasons. And it needs to if it’s to attract fresh investment. Team boss Gunther Steiner tells OLEG KARPOV how close Haas came to the abyss
How F1 race leaders have now lost their comfort blanket
As Formula 1 teams have settled down in understanding the new generation of cars and the way they need to maximise their performance, fresh lessons have emerged. Jonathan Noble investigates how they have brought with them an all-new kind of grand prix racing
Gilles Villeneuve's 10 greatest F1 drives
Formula 1 lost one of its brightest stars when Gilles Villeneuve was killed during practice for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix. Forty years on, Autosport picks out the greatest drives by a Ferrari legend
The silver lining of Ferrari’s Miami GP defeat
OPINION: Much was made of Formula 1’s first Miami Grand Prix – what turned out to be a very ‘marmite’ event for both those in attendance and everyone following on TV. But even as the on-track battle between Red Bull and Ferrari it produced continued the negative run of results for the red team, it contained a glimmer it must hope continues to shine
How imperfect Miami offered F1's drivers a unique challenge
OPINION: Despite all of the stylistic embellishments festooning Formula 1's inaugural Miami Grand Prix, the Miami International Autodrome offered the drivers a unique challenge and punished driver errors; a stark contrast to the usual cast of modern-day circuits