1 Racing Mind’s 2020 Formula 1 Mid-Season Team Report Card: Scuderia AlphaTauri

Photo Credit: Mark Sutton LAT Images/Pirelli

 Team Grade: A-

Driver’s Grade: 

Pierre Gasly: A

Daniil Kvyat: C+ 

Summary of First Nine Races:

Dropping the Toro Rosso branding for the 2020 Formula 1 season and assuming a new team name associated with a fashion/clothing line linked to energy drink company Red Bull, Scuderia AlphaTauri’s fresh image has been well-profiled during its initial outing. In fact, thanks to one well-played and fortunate Italian Grand Prix, the new name in the series stood high within the entire motorsport world.

The new black and white coloured AT01 race cars remains tightly associated by Red Rull Racing (who now sees Scuderia AlphaTauri as a sister team rather than a feeder), the Italian-based group uses suspension and transmission technology from its partner team as well as Honda engines. The 2020 season’s driver lineup featured two former Red Bull Racing pilots. Russia’s Daniil Kvyat and France’s Pierre Gasly both entered the year with a lot to prove. 

Out of the nine events, AlphaTauri left with at least one manufacturers’ point in eight. The Italian Grand Prix was the first and only race for the team so far where both cars finished in the top-10. Performing fairly as a mid-marker in Formula 1 throughout much of the tour, Scuderia AlphaTauri’s season highlight for 2020 is Pierre Gasly’s incredible victory in Italy. Aided by several factors including a well-placed pit stop, a strong standing restart after a red flag and a penalty issued to Lewis Hamilton, Gasly nonetheless drove the race of his career with the AT01 vehicle. Prior to the win on the Monza circuit, the Frenchman’s best finishes were a pair of seventh place results. 

Overshadowed by his teammate’s emotional Italian Grand Prix victory, Daniil Kvyat crossed the line in the top-10 four times during the first nine races of 2020. The Tuscan Grand Prix was the Russian best result of the season crossing the line at Mugello in seventh place.  

Becoming a race winning vehicle, Scuderia AlphaTauri’s AT01 chassis has spent most of the season as a stable, reliable car. In addition to point-scoring finishes in 2020, the AlphaTauri has made several appearance in the Q3 qualifying session. The best starting position for the team was seventh place obtained by Pierre Gasly at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix.

Prediction for Rest of the 2020 Season:

Scuderia AlphaTauri has already exceeded expectations for the 2020 season. Excluding the Italian Grand Prix, the team has shown itself to be a consistent top-10 cracking organization. Currently seventh in the constructors’ championship, AlphaTauri is 13 points behind the struggling Ferrari factory team after the Tuscan Grand Prix. 

With the drivers’ rating, the score for Gasly wasn’t only reflective of his surprise victory at Monza but rather a fairly decent season as a whole for the Frenchman.