Yuki Tsunoda has improved by leaps and bounds since last season and has even beaten Daniel Ricciardo in the same machinery in 2024. Still, Red Bull haven’t considered him good enough to offer him a promotion to the senior team. F1 expert Scott Mitchell-Malm believes this may be the harsh reality that the Austrian team may never seriously consider Tsunoda.
Speaking on The Race’s YouTube channel, Mitchell-Malm highlighted how the Japanese driver was “absolutely smashing it” at the start of the 2024 season. At the same time, Ricciardo’s form was rather miserable. So, it was never clear what to make of Tsunoda’s caliber despite his consistent points-scoring finishes for RB.
Ever since his debut, Tsunoda has been a prodigy who has shown immense raw speed and talent but lacked the consistency and temperament to channel the same. Perhaps Red Bull have this perception of the 24-year-old, even after his improved showing in 2023-24. Mitchell-Malm said,
“Nobody is really championing Tsunoda means that Tsunoda’s just probably never going to get his flowers within the Red Bull organization, is he? I don’t think he’s ever going to really be taken that seriously.”
Yuki Tsunoda was not impressed by rumours of RB reserve driver Liam Lawson being promoted to Red Bull before him #F1 pic.twitter.com/jFf413sUgH
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 18, 2024
Red Bull consider Tsunoda a fast driver to benchmark their other drivers like Ricciardo and Liam Lawson. However, the Japanese driver himself hasn’t been able to convince them to give him the Red Bull seat.
Lawson’s arrival at RB ahead of the US GP may also irritate Tsunoda immensely. After all, reports have suggested that the New Zealander is one of the options who is being considered to replace the underperforming Sergio Perez at Red Bull despite him not even having completed one full season in the sport.
On the other hand, 2024 is Tsunoda’s fourth full season in F1. Since Red Bull are seemingly not considering Tsunoda for a promotion despite his experience, the 24-year-old could consider seeking opportunities elsewhere.
Tsunoda wants to secure his F1 future regardless of Red Bull
Currently, Tsunoda has a contract with RB for 2025. However, with Honda leaving Red Bull after next season, the #22 driver may lose his seat at the Faenza-based outfit, given he has been a Honda-backed driver. While he has also been a part of Red Bull’s Academy, the 24-year-old is not just aiming to impress the top brass at Milton Keynes.
Per GP Blog, Tsunoda said, “Those things, it’s the same thing as the last three years. You want to prove not just to Red Bull, but to other teams.” The Japanese prodigy has also been linked with a move to Aston Martin, especially with Honda set to join the Silverstone-based team in 2026.
While there is no concrete information on the same, Tsunoda would grab such an opportunity with both hands if an opening comes up at Aston Martin. Besides that, he doesn’t have many opportunities outside Red Bull’s stable.
This explains why Tsunoda has stuck with the Faenza-based outfit for a fifth consecutive season in 2025. If he can produce a stellar campaign in 2025, his fate may change in terms of a good opportunity arising at any one of the other teams.
