Marino Sato to drive for AlphaTauri at the Young Driver Test
Following news of Yuki Tsunoda’s place in the end of season F1 test in Abu Dhabi, Scuderia AlphaTauri will field an all-Japanese line-up, with Marino Sato now confirmed to drive at the Yas Marina Circuit on 15 December.
Sato completed his rookie season in FIA Formula 2 driving with Trident. His #RoadtoF1 has seen him start like many drivers in karting before moving to Europe in 2011 to begin his single-seater career in the Italian F4 Championship in 2015.
Despite a challenging season this year he has a pedigree of winning in other junior categories, 2019 saw him take nine wins in the Euroformula Open Championship to claim the title against strong field with the likes Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda.
“I am extremely happy to be given this opportunity from AlphaTauri to drive an F1 car. We will try to do as many laps as possible to get used to the car quickly and to learn maximum out of it for whatever it comes in future. Obviously to be driving an F1 car is the dream of every racing driver, for sure I will enjoy a lot around Abu Dhabi!”
Franz Tost will be keen to review the performance of the young driver as they build towards continuing the pipeline of young drivers for both themselves and the Red Bull programme.
“We are pleased to have Marino Sato on board for the test because he did a solid job throughout the season in F2 this year, so he deserves a run in Formula One. We are convinced he can do a good job as he is a skilled driver. The plan for the test is simple, getting him to do as many laps as possible to give him a good feeling for an F1 car. This test will be very useful, both for us and for Marino and we will do our best to help him understand how an F1 team operates in all its different aspects. In addition, from a technical point of view he will certainly learn something from which he will benefit next year, when he will continue in the F2 Championship. I think this is a very good preparation for his future and it’s a pleasure to be part of his development towards what we hope will be a very successful career.”
All eyes will be on the end of season tests to see how our Formula 2 stars get on in the latest Formula 1 machinery.
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Image Credit: © Formula Motorsport Limited
