V-CARB CEO Peter Bayer has promised Yuki Tsunoda that he is in the running for a Red Bull seat, should the Japanese driver continue to perform the way he has been performing. Just days after Laurent Mekies showered praise on the #22 driver, Bayer referred to a German saying while hailing Tsunoda.
“In German, you say a swallow doesn’t make a summer,” Bayer claimed as reported by Motorsport. He added, “What it means is that if Yuki keeps racing on this level consistently, he will be considered for a seat in Red Bull Racing.”
: Yuki Tsunoda remains a contender for a Red Bull Racing seat in 2025 if he maintains his strong performance, says RB CEO Peter Bayer. Despite being overlooked for 2024, Tsunoda’s “phenomenal” improvement has kept him in the mix, with RB team principal Laurent Mekies praising… pic.twitter.com/8FdgF3dkMZ
— F1 Naija (@f1_naija) August 15, 2024
Tsunoda, who has often been overlooked to replace Sergio Perez because of his V-CARB teammate Daniel Ricciardo, has outshined the Australian throughout this season. The 24-year-old has better head-to-head stats in almost all the departments, including higher points and better finishes in the races as well as the qualifying sessions.
Thus, Tsunoda has put himself in the driver’s seat, should a vacancy arise at Red Bull if Perez leaves. The Mexican driver has failed to meet his team’s expectations and is likely to get the axe before the start of the 2025 season. Should the situation arise, the Japanese driver claims to be ready for it all.
The Red Bull challenge does not faze Tsunoda
Given the kind of form Max Verstappen is in, teaming up with him is a daunting task. However, the challenge is not too daunting for Tsunoda, who does not worry about the potential change of environment around him. He claimed that he would continue to work at Red Bull in the exact way that he has been working now.
Yuki Tsunoda reckons he’s “ready to fight” up at the front in #F1, he tells Autosport in an exclusive interview ⚔️
And the RB driver singles out Max Verstappen as someone he is ready to “fight against” pic.twitter.com/ZCLIJ8eyo5
— Autosport (@autosport) August 13, 2024
Although the #22 driver admitted that the pressure on him would increase, he made it clear that the thought of going up against Verstappen does not intimidate him. Tsunoda added, “I’m feeling ready to fight against higher positions, including Max [Verstappen].”
But a hiccup could end all dreams of Tsunoda, and that is Honda’s departure as Red Bull’s engine provider. With Red Bull moving to self-produced power units from 2026, chances are they might look in another direction than Tsunoda, given the Japanese’s linkage with Honda’s driver’s program.
