Shortly after confirming Liam Lawson’s signing, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner admitted that his side could let Yuki Tsunoda leave if they fail to give the Japanese driver an opportunity with the senior side in 2025. With Red Bull snubbing Tsunoda again, an F1 journalist has called them out for not letting the 24-year-old leave when an opportunity arose for him.
Scott Mitchell-Malm of The Race took to X and wrote, “Still a shame that Ayao Komatsu’s interest was thwarted by Red Bull activating its option on Tsunoda.”
“Haas ended up clear to pursue Esteban Ocon instead so that team is fine with the outcome but would have given Tsunoda stability, somewhere he was wanted“.
Still a shame that Ayao Komatsu’s interest was thwarted by Red Bull activating its option on Tsunoda. Haas ended up clear to pursue Esteban Ocon instead so that team is fine with the outcome but would have given Tsunoda stability, somewhere he was wanted. https://t.co/gsczbYVXK2
— Scott Mitchell-Malm (@SMitchellF1) December 20, 2024
With Tsunoda improving leaps and bounds since his maiden season with Racing Bulls (previously AlphaTauri) in 2021, many experts expected Red Bull to give him the seat. However, Red Bull decided to give the opportunity to Lawson, who has a higher performance ceiling than Tsunoda, claimed Horner.
Since Red Bull not only snubbed Tsunoda again but failed to let him leave when a team like Haas came calling for him, it makes sense why people are slamming the Milton Keynes-based outfit. Tsunoda himself was upset with Red Bull’s decision and is eager to prove to the top brass that they made the wrong call.
Will Tsunoda leave the Red Bull family after 2025?
Tsunoda seems to be running out of time with the Red Bull family as he does not seem to be in the team’s plans. Horner has made it clear in his interview with The Race that Red Bull “can’t have a driver in the support team for five years”.
The Briton’s remarks seem to suggest that if Red Bull’s top brass are happy with Lawson‘s performances on the senior team, then Tsunoda could become redundant. This is because Red Bull would be unwilling to give Tsunoda a sixth year with RB, who they would like to use to groom their next generation of drivers.
The Japanese driver has so far found his seat at RB secure thanks to his close ties with Honda, who are the engine partners of both Red Bull teams. But with Honda set to leave Red Bull at the end of 2025 and join Aston Martin in 2026, it could mean that Tsunoda has to leave as well.
Considering that Aston Martin already have a stable line-up of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll that is likely to remain till the end of 2026, Tsunoda may find himself in a tight spot. He will need to hope that either an opening emerges on any of the other teams or Cadillac Racing, who are set to join F1 in 2026, show an interest in signing him.
