Red Bull unofficially has a seat vacant on the grid as Sergio Perez is likely to get the boot from his team. Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson are deemed the primary candidates to replace Perez but so far the New Zealander has managed to be above the Japanese driver in the pecking order.
For ESPN’s Nate Saunders, it’s unjust as Tsunoda’s performances have appeared to be worthy of a promotion. “The thing with Tsunoda is so bizarre to me. Feels like he has done everything he needs to do,” said Saunders.
Saunders claims that Tsunoda’s anger issues could be a reason to keep him behind. However, he points to Max Verstappen doing the same thing on team radio but he is a superstar at the same place.
Co-host Laurence Edmondson chimed in to support Saunder’s point and claimed Tsunoda has also stopped swearing on the team radio. Besides the season’s first race in Bahrain, Tsunoda has hardly lost his calm in 2024.
Yuki Tsunoda was in Japanese F4 in 2018. 2 and a half years later he was in F1. He adapted quickly while having the pressure of being a RedBull junior. He had to prove it wasn’t just Honda. And he was only a teenager. Don’t ever tell me he doesn’t deserve the Red Bull seat. pic.twitter.com/CdSrNWLC3K
— ali (@dxbestani) December 10, 2024
Tsunoda, who had convincingly outperformed Daniel Ricciardo for most of the 2024 season, got Lawson as his teammate after RB decided to part ways with the Australian after the Singapore Grand Prix weekend. With six races in hand, Lawson had to prove himself worthy of the seat.
Tsunoda, having the same opportunity, never got the same discourse despite giving good performances. Probably, Red Bull doesn’t see a viable option in him.
What does Tsunoda need to do?
On paper, Tsunoda is also in the race, but he isn’t getting enough attention from Red Bull’s hierarchy. It could stem from the fact that Honda is splitting up with Red Bull.
Honda pays Red Bull around $10 million annually to grant Tsunoda a seat. With the Japanese company splitting after 2025, Tsunoda may not be needed at Red Bull anymore.
So, in all probability, Lawson could be favored. However, Tsunoda got his chance to impress the Red Bull bosses with his test with RB20 after the end of the season in Abu Dhabi.
But the decision remains to be still scene. Nevertheless, for 2025, Tsunoda is on the grid; if not for Red Bull, he has another season with RB at least.
