Yuki Tsunoda: Japanese F2 driver joins Alpha Tauri F1 team for 2021

Caption - Yuki Tsunoda posing in new team overalls

Yuki Tsunoda will be the first Japanese F1 driver since Kamui Kobayashi after signing with Alpha Tauri F1 for season 2021.

The 20-year-old finished third in his debut F2 season scoring 200 points, only 15 short of Championship winner and now Haas F1 driver Mick Schumacher.

Tsunoda is a member of the Red Bull junior driver setup and their engine partner Honda. He will follow in the steps of past drivers: Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, Alex Albon and his new F1 teammate Pierre Gasly.

Alpha Tauri team principal Franz Tost stated: "I am sure he will be a great asset to our team."

"In F2 this year, Yuki has demonstrated the right mix of racing aggression and good technical understanding. He proved he was ready for 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 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."

The announcement of Tsunoda as Pierre Gasly's new teammate has left Russian driver Daniil Kvyat will be without a seat in F1 next year.

A former Red Bull junior driver, Kvyat was dropped from their driver programme by the end of 2017 after his early success led to a rapid fall from grace.

After spending a year as Ferrari's third choice driver, Kvyat was resigned by the Red Bull Programme in 2019, after a driver shortage left a spare seat at Toro Rosso, the then branding of Alpha Tauri.

Despite the second opportunity, Kvyat was overwhelmingly beaten in the 2020 campaign by teammate Pierre Gasly, who returned to Alpha Tauri after his demotion from Red Bull. Gasly finished 43 points ahead of his teammate, which included a remarkable win at the Italian Grand Prix.

Kvyat shared his thoughts after losing his seat via Twitter:

"This is how things go sometimes, but I would like to thank everyone in the team for another intense season together."