Yuki Tsunoda’s Formula 1 journey has hit an unexpected roadblock. Despite showing remarkable growth and potential, he was overlooked for a promotion to the main Red Bull team for 2025.
Upon his arrival in Formula 1 in 2021, Tsunoda was seen as a fast but inconsistent young driver with a penchant for colorful, expletive-laden radio messages. Despite the initial challenges, his team and Honda backers maintained their support, recognizing his underlying speed and potential. His development was steady, and by 2023, Tsunoda delivered an impressive season, validating the belief that young drivers need around three seasons to fully adjust to F1.
As he matured, Tsunoda began outperforming his car’s capabilities, consistently reaching Q3 and scoring points. His performance in 2024 has been a testament to his growth, even outpacing his more experienced teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, in several instances. However, despite his improvements, there hasn’t been any serious consideration to promote him to Red Bull’s main team. Instead, Daniel Ricciardo was brought back to RB as a safety net in case Sergio Perez underperformed.
Christian Horner, Red Bull’s team principal, seems unconvinced about Tsunoda’s fit alongside Max Verstappen, while Helmut Marko, a team advisor, hinted that Tsunoda’s momentum picked up a bit too late for a 2025 promotion. Marko remarked, “He has to continue to perform like he does now. Let’s see what the future brings then. His development is really good, although it came a little bit later than we expected, but he is now a top driver I would say.”
Tsunoda expressed his frustration at being overlooked, especially with Perez’s contract renewal. He stated, “Obviously I’m already committed to Red Bull a lot and hopefully I can have a bit more commitment from them. There’s an ongoing discussion and I want to make sure first of all we’re on the same page with Red Bull after that we’ll see. But I’m happy with RB.” Despite the setback, Tsunoda remains focused on proving his worth and hopes his continued progress will change Red Bull’s perspective in the future.
For now, Tsunoda’s fate lies with RB, who have retained him for the 2025 season. His opportunities elsewhere seem limited, with potential openings at Audi or Aston Martin being more speculative than realistic at this point. Aston Martin’s potential interest hinges on Lance Stroll’s unlikely departure.
Despite not moving to the main Red Bull team, staying with RB might be the best move for Tsunoda. The team, backed by new sponsors Visa and CashApp, aims to evolve beyond being just Red Bull’s junior team. RB’s new strategy of pairing experienced drivers with emerging talents has positioned Tsunoda as a seasoned hand to build the team around. Laurent Mekies, RB’s team principal, emphasized that Tsunoda’s retention was crucial for their project. Mekies praised Tsunoda’s progress, stating, “He has been doing a phenomenal step this year, which went well beyond our expectations. We were expecting a step but in a fourth year doing such a step changes is very impressive, both in terms of pace and outside of the car.”
Looking ahead, Mekies acknowledged the frustration Tsunoda might feel but remained optimistic about his future. He suggested that if Tsunoda continues to improve, he might become “difficult to ignore” for Red Bull or other teams next year. Until then, as Mekies put it, Tsunoda’s ambition and hard work will keep pushing both himself and the team forward.
In the meantime, it’s clear that while Red Bull may not yet see Tsunoda as a perfect fit, RB values his contributions immensely.
Yuki Tsunoda’s career is at a pivotal juncture. While the main Red Bull team remains out of reach for now, his current team, RB, believes in his potential and sees him as a cornerstone for their future. Tsunoda’s journey continues, with the hope that his consistent performances will eventually earn him the recognition he deserves.
Source: Motorsport
