Yuki Tsunoda could easily top the list of the most unhinged drivers in F1 today. He doesn’t hesitate to express his feelings candidly, be it on team radio or to the media. The Japanese driver has developed a niche following and his fans enjoy his unfiltered nature.
Back in 2022, AlphaTauri (now RB) conducted an Ask Me Anything (AMA) activity for Tsunoda on the F1 subreddit. In this AMA, one fan asked him the one thing that he didn’t like about F1, and the #22 driver did not hesitate to state that media interviews were one of his most disliked activities in the sport.
“Sometimes I don’t like doing so much media, and there’s a lot of traveling when sometimes you just want to rest at home with friends or family,” he said.
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Tsunoda doesn’t hold back when expressing his dissatisfaction with car performance or tire strategy and often vents his frustration over team radio. While other drivers do the same, the 24-year-old’s remarks attract more attention due to their high frequency. Over time, however, he has worked on his demeanor, learning to control his emotions and improving significantly.
Barring the season opener in Bahrain, where he had an argument with Daniel Ricciardo, there were seldom any instances where Tsunoda went overboard with his feelings on track.
Still, Red Bull reportedly took Tsunoda’s reputation of being a hot-headed driver into account while choosing Liam Lawson over him in replacing Sergio Perez at Red Bull for 2025.
Tsunoda’s Red Bull snub
Many in the F1 community have criticized Red Bull’s decision to select the Kiwi driver over Tsunoda. They feel that the Japanese driver has gained a lot of experience and done an excellent job for RB over the past two seasons.
No denying that Tsunoda should have ideally gotten the nod to be Verstappen’s teammate ahead of Lawson. However, it was Red Bull’s decision eventually, and they did consider the 24-year-old, but never seemed serious about him. While team principal Christian Horner did say his name in passing, there was a diplomatic tone to those comments, which reflected the team’s thought process.
Tsunoda hasn’t really given an unfiltered reaction to the snub by Red Bull. But he has spoken about the possibility of moving away from the outfit, something even Horner acknowledged, citing that the Japanese driver cannot be tied to them forever.
Christian Horner discusses Yuki Tsunoda’s future with Red Bull. pic.twitter.com/SuhEC7b1tB
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) December 21, 2024
The 24-year-old reportedly had some offers from teams like Alpine and Haas for the 2025 season itself, but he decided to rely on the possibility of the Red Bull promotion. Some experts claimed that the Austrian team held him back but never really wanted to promote him to their main team.
In 2025, Tsunoda won’t think twice about accepting an offer from another team if a good opportunity arises. With Red Bull unlikely to offer him a seat at Milton Keynes, it is in the Japanese driver’s best interest to consider his career growth elsewhere.
