Formula One team AlphaTauri has given Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda a contract for next year. Tsunoda is in his second year in F1 with AlphaTauri and has a best finish of seventh this season at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in April . He is 16th in the 20-driver championship with 11 points. His best result for the team overall was fourth at the season-ending Abu Dhabi GP last December.

Having moved to Italy last year, to be closer to the factory, I really feel part of the team and am glad that I get to carry on racing with them in 2023,&nbsp;Tsunoda said on Thursday. "Our season isn't over yet and we're still pushing hard ... So I'm fully focused on finishing it on a high. 
The 22-year-old Tsunoda's teammate, Pierre Gasly, has been repeatedly linked with a move to Alpine as a replacement for Fernando Alonso, who is joining Aston Martin next season after Sebastian Vettel's retirement from F1.

Formula One team AlphaTauri has given Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda a contract for next year. Tsunoda is in his second year in F1 with AlphaTauri and has a best finish of seventh this season at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in April .

Formula One team AlphaTauri has given Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda a contract for next year. Tsunoda is in his second year in F1 with AlphaTauri and has a best finish of seventh this season at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in April . He is 16th in the 20-driver championship with 11 points. His best result for the team overall was fourth at the season-ending Abu Dhabi GP last December. Having moved to Italy last year, to be closer to the factory, I really feel part of the team and am glad that I get to carry on racing with them in 2023, Tsunoda said on Thursday. "Our season isn't over yet and we're still pushing hard ... So I'm fully focused on finishing it on a high. The 22-year-old Tsunoda's teammate, Pierre Gasly, has been repeatedly linked with a move to Alpine as a replacement for Fernando Alonso, who is joining Aston Martin next season after Sebastian Vettel's retirement from F1.

AlphaTauri retains Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda for next Formula One season

As they gear up for Formula One's doubleheader at the Red Bull Ring, starting with this weekend's Styrian Grand Prix, the Red Bull Racing Honda and Scuderia AlphaTauri drivers went head-to-head in the ultimate scavenger hunt, codenamed 'Formula Schnitzeljagd'.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/formula-one-driver-sebastian-vettel-lashes-out-at-uefa-over-rainbow-protest-refusal-393724" hreflang="en">Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel lashes out at UEFA over 'rainbow' protest refusal</a>

Formula Schnitzeljagd is an off-road Austrian adventure like no other. Red Bull Racing duo Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez joined Scuderia AlphaTauri racers Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda on a tour that mixed culture with driving challenges.

First up, they travelled to Hangar-7 in Salzburg and jumped on board a Cessna 208 Caravan seaplane for the short 80km flight to Styria's largest lake, Grundlsee.

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After arriving at Grundlsee and kitting themselves out in traditional Austrian clothing, the Bulls faced their first challenge of racing two of the lake's traditional long wooden Plätten boats.

Next up, was stepping into a pair of enormous six-wheel Pinzgauer trucks. Originally manufactured in nearby Graz, Pinzgauers are high-mobility, all-terrain vehicles capable of taking on daunting landscapes, and the most treacherous of inclines and declines.

<img alt="ss" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="32c12120-5f22-4b00-86db-fe794533c39f" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20image%20%2820%29.jpg" />

The drivers were tested to make full use of the Pinzgauer's capabilities as they went head-to-head through the forests deep in the Styrian countryside on their way to the Red Bull Ring.

And once at the home of F1 in Austria and with a suitably damp track awaiting them, there was only one final challenge to face – an all-or-nothing sprint to the flag.

<img alt="sss" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="fb55d22b-7e2b-42a7-b465-948d7d636d5f" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20image%20%2822%29.jpg" />

Verstappen, 23, said: "Honestly I'd never seen anything like the Pinzgauer before – a six-wheel car. It pretty was cool to drive! It's always nice to race in Austria and now we get the opportunity to do it twice. It's our home Grand Prix and we've won it before, so hopefully we can have two good weekends here."

Pérez, 31, added: "It was very competitive, very serious (laughs) and the best type of preparation you can have for the race weekend."

Tsunoda, 21, said: "It was a really interesting and exciting event and there was plenty of teamwork. It was fun. The driving in the off-road with the Pinzgauer, we got stuck a lot on the hills and we had a tough time to get out from there, but it was fun."

Gasly, 25, concluded: "We went around the Austrian countryside and discovered a lot of different parts of the country before we ended up at The Red Bull Ring. It was good to be with all four drivers together."

As they gear up for Formula One's doubleheader at the Red Bull Ring, starting with this weekend's Styrian Grand Prix, the Red Bull Racing Honda and Scuderia AlphaTauri drivers went head-to-head in the ultimate scavenger hunt, codenamed 'Formula Schnitzeljagd'.

As they gear up for Formula One's doubleheader at the Red Bull Ring, starting with this weekend's Styrian Grand Prix, the Red Bull Racing Honda and Scuderia AlphaTauri drivers went head-to-head in the ultimate scavenger hunt, codenamed 'Formula Schnitzeljagd'. ALSO READ: Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel lashes out at UEFA over 'rainbow' protest refusal Formula Schnitzeljagd is an off-road Austrian adventure like no other. Red Bull Racing duo Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez joined Scuderia AlphaTauri racers Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda on a tour that mixed culture with driving challenges. First up, they travelled to Hangar-7 in Salzburg and jumped on board a Cessna 208 Caravan seaplane for the short 80km flight to Styria's largest lake, Grundlsee. × After arriving at Grundlsee and kitting themselves out in traditional Austrian clothing, the Bulls faced their first challenge of racing two of the lake's traditional long wooden Plätten boats. Next up, was stepping into a pair of enormous six-wheel Pinzgauer trucks. Originally manufactured in nearby Graz, Pinzgauers are high-mobility, all-terrain vehicles capable of taking on daunting landscapes, and the most treacherous of inclines and declines. The drivers were tested to make full use of the Pinzgauer's capabilities as they went head-to-head through the forests deep in the Styrian countryside on their way to the Red Bull Ring. And once at the home of F1 in Austria and with a suitably damp track awaiting them, there was only one final challenge to face – an all-or-nothing sprint to the flag. Verstappen, 23, said: "Honestly I'd never seen anything like the Pinzgauer before – a six-wheel car. It pretty was cool to drive! It's always nice to race in Austria and now we get the opportunity to do it twice. It's our home Grand Prix and we've won it before, so hopefully we can have two good weekends here." Pérez, 31, added: "It was very competitive, very serious (laughs) and the best type of preparation you can have for the race weekend." Tsunoda, 21, said: "It was a really interesting and exciting event and there was plenty of teamwork. It was fun. The driving in the off-road with the Pinzgauer, we got stuck a lot on the hills and we had a tough time to get out from there, but it was fun." Gasly, 25, concluded: "We went around the Austrian countryside and discovered a lot of different parts of the country before we ended up at The Red Bull Ring. It was good to be with all four drivers together."

WATCH - Formula One drivers face off in fun Austrian off-road adventure

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AlphaTauri retains Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda for next Formula One season

WATCH - Formula One drivers face off in fun Austrian off-road adventure