Yuki Tsunoda breaks silence on a potential Red Bull call-up in 2023 amidst Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 return

Yuki Tsunoda has expressed his thoughts regarding a Red Bull F1 seat in 2024 despite Alpha Tauri signing Daniel Ricciardo.

Yuki Tsunoda breaks silence on a potential Red Bull call-up in 2023 amidst Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 return

Yuki Tsunoda (image via Red Bull), Daniel Ricciardo (image via PlanetF1)

Yuki Tsunoda made his F1 debut in 2021 with Alpha Tauri. The Japanese driver delivered an impressive result in his debut race but struggled throughout the season. However, the 23-year-old managed to showcase his talent at the pinnacle of motorsport over the past two seasons for the Red Bull sister team. Now, Tsunoda has finally spoken about a potential Red Bull seat despite Daniel Ricciardo‘s return to Faenza.

The Japanese driver was satisfied with the Red Bull family, which provided him an avenue into F1. Tsunoda made it clear that he remains uninterested in rival teams for now. The 23-year-old is focused on bringing results to Alpha Tauri, which has supported him since his debut. He told the media, “I am happy with AlphaTauri. [They’ve] supported over the last few years, so I am not considering other teams.”

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Although, Yuki Tsunoda was open to the prospect of a promotion to Red Bull next season if the opportunity arose. The 23-year-old stated that he focused more on his current stint at the Faenza-based team and not speculating about his future. Tsunoda continued, “If there’s an opportunity to go to Red Bull, that will be amazing. But like I said, [I am] not thinking too much about [2024], and there’s not much reason to go outside AlphaTauri.”

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Yuki Tsunoda is set to face Daniel Ricciardo as a teammate at Alpha Tauri

Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda (image via Raceweek.com.au)
Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda (image via Raceweek.com.au)

Daniel Ricciardo was confirmed as the replacement for Nyck de Vries in a shock announcement earlier this week. The Australian driver will be partnering with Tsunoda from the Hungarian GP. This brings a big challenge for Yuki Tsunoda. The 23-year-old will need to match up the pace of the multiple F1 race winner.

Red Bull consultant Dr. Helmut Marko mentioned that Ricciardo will set the benchmark for Tsunoda at the Red Bull sister team. As such, expectations will be high for the 23-year-old to perform. Subsequently, the Japanese driver might have the door open for a seat at Milton Keynes if he could outperform Danny Ric this season.

Thus, Yuki Tsunoda has not ruled out his interest in a potential Red Bull drive in the future. For now, the 23-year-old is solely focused on performing for Alpha Tauri and bringing results to the team amidst its recent struggles. Though, it remains to be seen if Tsunoda can truly step up on his game and match a far more experienced teammate in the form of Daniel Ricciardo this season.

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