Yuki Tsunoda is one of the drivers who continues to be in the news. Speculations have been rampant regarding the Japanese driver’s future as many believe he is one of the talents to keep an eye on. Moreover, with Lance Stroll struggling at Aston Martin, there are rumors that the team may consider replacing the Canadian with Tsunoda. Despite the interest from the Silverstone-based team, Tsunoda does not seem interested in the move.
As for Stroll, the pressure has been increasing on him not only because of his disappointing performances on the race track but also because of his off-track behavior. Many slammed the 24-year-old recently after he appeared to shove one of the mechanics in the garage to release his frustrations.
Did Lance stroll not just shove the mechanic? Not punch the wall? pic.twitter.com/YdWpBIBwqW
— Karen (@Karen__2616) October 6, 2023
While the pressure has been increasing on Stroll towards an exit, Aston Martin have links to Tsunoda because of their future Honda partnership. The Japanese manufacturer will supply engines to the Silverstone-based outfit from the 2026 season onwards.
Yuki Tsunoda reiterates his commitment to Red Bull
The speculations linking Yuki Tsunoda to Aston Martin have been so widespread that interviewers even asked Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko about the same. In reply, the 80-year-old simply said that if the Silverstone-based outfit are keen on signing the Japanese driver, then first they will have to reach an agreement with the Milton Keynes outfit.
Meanwhile, Tsunoda, who recently extended his contract with AlphaTauri, reiterated his commitment to the Red Bull family. He said (as quoted by motorsport.nextgen-auto.com), “I don’t want Red Bull to misunderstand and think that I’m focused on signing with Aston Martin or something like that. I’m an AlphaTauri driver. I’ve been with Red Bull since I was 18, so I’m just focused on doing well at Red Bull. Not at Aston Martin“.
Moreover, it is pertinent to note that Tsunoda just does not have links with Aston Martin. Since there are rumors that Toyota may join F1 in a partnership with McLaren sometime in the future, the Japanese driver also has links with the Woking-based outfit.
Tsunoda has no plans to join Toyota as he loves Honda
Even though both Toyota and Honda are two of the top Japanese automobile brands, Yuki Tsunoda does not have any hesitation in admitting that he loves the latter. When asked about the same and if he will move to McLaren if Toyota joins them in a partnership, the 23-year-old replied (as quoted by planetf1.com), “I will stay with Honda whatever happens“.
He then added that he loves Honda because they “care” about him a lot. As for Toyota, he added that he does not have any information about their interest in joining the sport. Tsunoda’s remarks about Honda will also be a boost for Aston Martin if they are keen to sign him ahead of their partnership with the Japanese automobile manufacturer.
