Yuki Tsunoda was amongst the group of drivers who were fighting for a seat at Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen in 2025. However, he was given a one-year contract extension with his current team VCARB ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix. The Japanese driver has now said that he is willing to explore options outside the Red Bull family as his prospects of being promoted to the main team remain elusive.
The three drivers eyeing the Red Bull seat included Tsunoda, Daniel Ricciardo, and Liam Lawson. However, Tsunoda seemed to be the obvious choice considering his exceptional performances in 2024. Regardless, Red Bull chose to stick with Sergio Perez and gave him a new contract.
This has led Tsunoda to believe that now, he needs to drive to impress other teams in F1 and not just Red Bull. “You want to prove not just to Red Bull but to all the teams. It’s not in my control anyway, I’ll just try my best,” Tsunoda said during Thursday’s drivers’ conference ahead of the Dutch GP.
️| Yuki Tsunoda on media day before #DutchGP #YT22 pic.twitter.com/7eY2TaAwnR
— Hawk (@Hawk9248) August 22, 2024
However, his attempts to impress other teams for 2025 might likely go to waste with his VCARB extension and most other teams having already locked in their driver line-up for the next season. Currently, Mercedes is the only top team left to decide George Russell’s teammate.
The Silver Arrows, however, seem to have no interest in the Japanese driver as they are keen on signing either their young prodigy, Kimi Antonelli, or the reigning world champion, Max Verstappen. Now, Verstappen seems set to stay at Red Bull, but Perez’s retention is something that will hurt Tsunoda.
Red Bull offered financial stability if they lost the constructors’ title because of Perez
Despite getting beaten by Tsunoda fair and square, Ricciardo was still on top of Red Bull’s list as the replacement for Perez, which, if it had happened, would have been a real blow for the Japanese driver.
It’s even more difficult to understand why Red Bull was willing to pair Verstappen with the Honey Badger given he was, at one point in the season, not looking good to even retain his seat at VCARB.
Despite the rumors of the swap coming after the Belgian Grand Prix, Red Bull chose to stick with the Mexican, reportedly on the intervention of F1’s commercial rights holder, Liberty Media, who feared a drop in revenue following Perez’s exit.
Red Bull is clearly not safe anymore in the battle for the constructors’ championship given Perez’s poor performances in the last six races or so. However, according to a recent report, the #11 driver’s sponsors are ready to cover the majority of Red Bull’s financial losses if they lose the constructors’ championship.
