Yuki Tsunoda has improved by leaps and bounds in the last two F1 seasons and has been keen on getting a promotion to a top team like Red Bull. However, the top brass at Milton Keynes has overlooked the Japanese prodigy as a serious contender to partner with Max Verstappen. Amid this, Tsunoda’s best mate and former teammate Pierre Gasly has endorsed the 24-year-old as a deserving candidate for the second seat at Red Bull.
“If you look at his performance, he definitely deserved a chance. He has improved a lot – he is so different from four years ago. This year, but also in 2023, he has been very strong. In both seasons he has beaten his team-mate”, Gasly said to the media at the Qatar GP, per Formule1.nl.
Gasly‘s comments are not entirely based on his good bond with Tsunoda. The Japanese driver has shown impressive performances in the last two seasons, going well against the likes of Nyck de Vries, Daniel Ricciardo, and Liam Lawson.
No chill from Yuki Tsunoda …https://t.co/NQUzwedgd8 pic.twitter.com/4SV6kXAHGY
— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) November 28, 2024
While Lawson has been running very close to him, Tsunoda has shown his learnings in the past four years to get the better of the Kiwi driver. Lawson is his main competition for that Red Bull seat, as things stand. So, beating him and scoring points for RB would certainly benefit Tsunoda’s case.
However, despite all the good work Tsunoda has done, Red Bull bosses haven’t talked highly of him until recently. When Christian Horner was asked about the 24-year-old’s chances of getting a promotion to Red Bull, he played it diplomatically by bringing up the complex driver situation at Red Bull.
How Horner and Red Bull are acknowledging yet ignoring Tsunoda
Horner acknowledged that Tsunoda has been very quick and has done well at their sister team RB. However, they also have to consider Sergio Perez’s contractual situation and form, which complicates and influences all of their driver decisions.
To put it better, Perez’s contract and his commercial benefits are restricting Red Bull from making a firm decision on bringing in someone young like Tsunoda or Lawson. Nevertheless, Horner praised Tsunoda, “Speed-wise, we can see he’s fast. He’s experienced now, he’s making less mistakes”.
Time will tell whether Horner meant it or will Red Bull again ignore Tsunoda and keep him at RB for another season. Still, the Japanese driver wants to stay in contention for a seat at Milton Keynes instead of losing hope and looking for a seat elsewhere.
