Christian Horner refuses to rule out Yuki Tsunoda as potential replacement for Sergio Perez
Christian Horner hinted that Red Bull could be interested in promoting Yuki Tsunoda to Milton Keynes in the future.
Yuki Tsunoda and Sergio Perez with Christian Horner ( image via IMAGO)
Christian Horner reckons Yuki Tsunoda, driver of the Red Bull sister team, VCARB could be a potential Red Bull driver in future. Tsunoda in 2024 has outshined his teammate Daniel Ricciardo in performance who has more experience than him. Considering this performance Red Bull can view the 24-year-old as their future driver.
Christian Horner during a media interaction was asked about Yuki Tsunoda‘s future where he replied, they can’t rule anything out regarding the 24-year-old stepping up to the main team in the future. He mentioned that Red Bull has options for multiple years with the Japanese driver because they believe he is talented enough. Although, Red Bull reserve Liam Lawson is set to test the RB20 this week, potentially another candidate for the seat. Considering this talent, Red Bull sees potential in Tsunoda and thinks he could be a valuable driver for them.
You can never rule anything out, We have options for multiple years on him because we believe he's a talent.Christian Horner said, as reported by RacingNews365
Horner explained that Tsunoda is a Red Bull driver. He said in response to a question about why the 24-year-old hadn’t been given a similar opportunity in the past. Christian Horner mentioned, you never know what might happen in the future, he was referring to Sergio Perez getting replaced by Tsunoda. He hinted that the Japanese might get a chance to test for the main team, but nothing is certain yet. The 50-year-old meant that while Tsunoda hasn’t had the same opportunities before, he could still get a test run with the main Red Bull team in the future.
He's a Red Bull Racing driver. He's on a Red Bull Racing contract. You never know. Maybe he'll get a test one day. You never know.Christian Horner added
Christian Horner thinks Yuki Tsunoda has been benefited from Daniel Ricciardo
Christian Horner explained that Yuki Tsunoda has gained a lot from having Daniel Ricciardo as his teammate. Horner said, The 24-year-old will openly admit that he had learned many things from the Australian. Especially about how an experienced driver works with the team and the engineers. Being around Ricciardo had helped him improve by observing how the 35-year-old communicates and collaborates with everyone involved. The 50-year-old said learning from Ricciardo has been valuable for Tsunoda, helping his growth and understanding of the team’s dynamics.
I think he's benefited from having Daniel [Ricciardo] alongside him. He'll openly admit that he's learned from Daniel, in terms of having an experienced driver and how they interact with the team and the engineers.Christian Horner stated
Horner further mentioned, Yuki Tsunoda is no longer a rookie and now has quite a lot of experience. He noted that Tsunoda is using his experience well in facing challenging conditions like the one in British GP. Christian Horner was impressed with how the Japanese drove the race, indicating that his experience is making a positive impact on his performance.
Yuki's not a rookie anymore. He's got quite a lot of experience now under his belt, and you can see he's putting that to good use - and in difficult conditions like today, I thought he drove a very good race.Christian Horner added
Certainly, Christian Horner believed Tsunoda has gained enough experience and could be a potential driver for the main Red Bull. Yuki Tsunoda achieved tenth place at the British GP which Horner thought was enough, before the challenges he faced during the race.
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Armaan Agarwal
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