Yuki Tsunoda nothing more than a placeholder for Red Bull
Liam Lawson's RB arrival reasserts Red Bull's stance on not considering Yuki Tsunoda as an option to partner Max Verstappen.
Yuki Tsunoda (via IMAGO)
Red Bull made headlines after the Singapore GP with a major driver shake-up at its sister team RB. Daniel Ricciardo was given the axe with Liam Lawson coming in to replace the Australian driver from the US GP. This leaves Yuki Tsunoda in an awkward place within the Red Bull family.
Yuki Tsunoda impressed many in the paddock in the first half of this season as he managed to outperform Daniel Ricciardo. The Australian driver’s exit could be partially attributed to his failure to match Tsunoda in multiple races this year.
The Japanese driver had even outperformed ex-Formula E world champion Nyck de Vries at RB last season. So much so, that de Vries was sacked after just ten races. However, despite such incredible performances against teammates, Yuki Tsunoda has no real shot to grow within the Red Bull family.
Red Bull is not taking Yuki Tsunoda seriously
Yuki Tsunoda made his F1 debut in 2021 with AlphaTauri (now RB) and was seen as a future Red Bull driver. However, the Japanese driver had to learn from his mistakes in his first two seasons before truly showcasing his brilliance at RB last season.
Red Bull has always kept the door open for a Sergio Perez replacement. Daniel Ricciardo was rumored to take the Mexican’s seat after the summer break, while now Lawson is being seen as the candidate for 2025. However, Yuki Tsunoda is never considered when it comes to partnering Max Verstappen at Milton Keynes.
Tsunoda does have ties to Honda which might play a role as Red Bull parts ways with the carmaker after 2025. However, the 24-year-old could’ve been the ideal teammate to Max Verstappen. Currently, the only reason for the Japanese driver’s stay at RB is that Red Bull does not have another driver to fill the seat.
F2 driver Isack Hadjar is the senior-most Red Bull junior in the motorsports ladder right now. But it will take some time before the Austrian giant could consider giving Hadjer an F1 debut. As such, Yuki Tsunoda is essentially a seat-warmer for future talent. Although, Tsunoda could shift to a rival squad once his contract with Red Bull ends.
Certainly, Yuki Tsunoda understands the fact that he has no future within Red Bull. The Japanese driver would be looking to prove his worth to the rest of the grid and perhaps switch to a top team in the coming seasons.
Armaan Agarwal
(2018 Articles Published)