Back in June 2024, RB confirmed that Yuki Tsunoda will remain with the team for the 2025 season, ensuring the Japanese driver remained in Formula One for next year.
In recent weeks, he was reportedly overlooked in Red Bull’s shortlist on who will replace Sergio Pérez as the Mexican was unable to deliver satisfying results as of late.
Shortly after the Belgian Grand Prix, Red Bull confirmed that the lineups for both Red Bull and RB will remain unchanged until the season ended. RB’s CEO, Peter Bayer is confident in Tsunoda’s abilities to have Red Bull consider the 24-year-old for the second Red Bull seat.
“Helmut [Marko] said it himself, in German you say a swallow doesn’t make a summer. What it means is that if Yuki keeps racing on this level consistently, he will be considered for a seat in Red Bull Racing.“
RB is keen to have Tsunoda on the senior team as visioned by themselves and their shareholders. Bayer will do everything within the capacity to have the Japanese driver ready to step in to the second Red Bull seat.
The Austrian has plenty of options when it comes to next year as they are not in a hurry.
“That’s ultimately exactly our mission and the mission we’ve been given by the shareholders, and if that means that he needs another season next to a very strong Daniel, that could be an option.“
“It could also be an option [to] say that, okay, we now believe he’s ready. So [then] we’ll talk to Liam [Lawson]. We’re not in a hurry, despite all the people [who] think we are, because we do have all the options in our hands.”
RB’s team principal, Laurent Mekies also backed him and his ambition to move to Red Bull, describing his improvement as “phenomenal.”
“You expect a lot of things from a young guy between the first and the second year, maybe between the second and the third year. But you don’t expect that sort of phenomenal step between third and fourth, so – yes, he’s faster. Yes, he’s calmer. Yes, he’s better integrating the team, better feedback, hopefully happy!“
“But seriously, he has been a reference point in the way that he gets out of the garage on Friday FP1 – and, bang: the first lap, he is there.“
First and foremost, Tsunoda is a Red Bull family driver, Mekies mentioned that drivers within the system that lack the desire to drive a Red Bull is “wrong”. The Frenchman also backed Bayer’s statements that the team will do whatever they can to help Tsunoda’s chances to move to Red Bull.
“Yuki is a Red Bull driver. He must have the ambition to drive for Red Bull Racing. If he doesn’t have that – it’s wrong.“
“I hope and I trust that he wants more than anything else to drive that car to win races. We also try to help him developing him in that way. So that’s what the business is.“
“Was he fully happy to extend with us to drive for us next year? Yes, [and] it’s a question for him but because what he tells us is that he is mega ambitious, he can see a team [that] is mega ambitious and the fit is obviously working.“
“It helps him develop, he has paid us back with quite [an] incredible level of performance.”
