Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo — Photo: © LAT Images

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AlphaTauri F1 contract extension revealed by DRIVER ahead of official confirmation

He appears to have jumped the gun on the official announcement

Matthew Hobkinson Lead Editor

F1 Editor & Journalist

Thursday 21 September 2023 12:57 Updated: 13:10

Yuki Tsunoda has seemingly revealed the news of his new AlphaTauri contract, ahead of an official announcement from the team.

Rumours have been swirling over the possibility that Tsunoda was set to have an extra special home race weekend at the Japanese Grand Prix, with the added bonus of a new contract for the 23-year-old.

AlphaTauri are yet to confirm either of their two seats on the 2024 grid, with Tsunoda thought to be competing against both Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson.

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Yet it now seems that there will only be one slot left to fill, after Tsunoda suggested that the only thing left to sort was the release of an official announcement – implying the contract had already been signed.

Tsunoda reveals AlphaTauri announcement

Yuki Tsunoda looks set to stay at AlphaTauri in 2024

"Yes, it's always been like that," he told Viaplay when asked if it's the same story every year with F1 contracts.

"It's always the same whether you get a contract, yes or no. I'm getting used to it."

Tsunoda then went on to discuss the announcement of his contract extension, rather than the confirmation, suggesting that everything is already in place.

"Let's see how the announcement goes, because I don't know exactly when it will be announced," he said. "Hopefully it will be this week, because for a Japanese driver and I think that's what Japanese fans want to know as well."