Yuki Tsunoda is confident that he deserves a seat on the Red Bull Racing team.
Yuki Tsunoda says he feels ready to fight for F1’s top positions with Red Bull, and believes he deserves to be under consideration as Max Verstappen’s teammate.
Despite being VCARB’s top performer in F1 2024, the Japanese driver has yet to be strongly considered for a potential promotion to a Red Bull seat. As rumors circulate regarding a potential driver swap at the Milton Keynes-based squad, his name has not been prominently mentioned.
Yuki Tsunoda: I’ve been feeling ready for the last three years
All eyes are on what Red Bull chooses to do with Sergio Perez’s cockpit for the remainder of 2024, as the Mexican driver has struggled for pace and consistency in the second quarter of the championship.
Max Verstappen finds himself in a tough position as McLaren, Mercedes, and Ferrari, equipped with formidable driver pairings, relentlessly challenge Red Bull. Meanwhile, his teammate Perez has struggled to find his groove, accumulating a mere 15 points in the past six races. Consequently, Perez has fallen behind all of Red Bull’s rival drivers in terms of points scored.
Initially, Daniel Ricciardo seemed to be the top candidate for a potential driver swap at Red Bull, given that there was a contract clause allowing them to make the move if Sergio Perez fell more than 100 points behind Max Verstappen after the Belgian Grand Prix.
From 2014 to ’18, The Australian had previously raced with Red Bull and displayed no fear of Verstappen during their two-and-a-half seasons together. This was an ideal situation for Red Bull, hoping that Ricciardo can once again perform at that exceptional level.
Despite showing some improvement, Ricciardo has been overshadowed by Tsunoda throughout 2024. PlanetF1.com has learned that the team is not seriously considering promoting the Japanese driver. Instead, the current reserve driver, Liam Lawson, may be chosen for the second half of the season if Red Bull decides to make a change.
Tsunoda expressed his confidence in competing against the leading drivers in Formula 1, including Verstappen, as he addressed the media before the Hungarian Grand Prix.
“When asked about his readiness for a Red Bull seat, he stated that if he wasn’t prepared, he wouldn’t have been able to make a complete announcement regarding the next season, especially for VCARB.”
“For the past three years, I have been feeling prepared to take on the top teams and achieve higher positions, even when competing against Max or anyone else.”
“Ultimately, it is up to them to make the decision, and there are certain aspects that I cannot control. Therefore, my attention is solely on the tasks ahead in the next two races. I need to concentrate on various aspects with our teams and observe the outcome. I will approach these races in the same manner as before, prioritizing my performance and duties.”
When asked if he believes he is worthy of the seat at Red Bull alongside Verstappen, Tsunoda responded directly, stating, “Absolutely!”
Red Bull seems to be evaluating Liam Lawson’s potential to step into a Red Bull car directly, after his previous role as a super-sub for AlphaTauri and current position as reserve driver for both Red Bull teams in 2024. This situation might pose a challenge for Tsunoda, as he could potentially be surpassed by the talented New Zealand driver.
After the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Lawson conducted a filming day to collect promotional material for the team. Additionally, he took the opportunity to push his limits and assess his speed by indulging in some exhilarating laps towards the end of the day.
Tsunoda suggested that he would struggle to comprehend the decision if Lawson is selected to take Perez’s place.
He said it would be strange if they chose Liam.
However, in my opinion, I don’t believe that is the case. Liam performed excellently when he drove last year, but I believe I surpassed his performance. The outcome remains to be seen. The management team is well aware of how to handle the drivers.
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However, Tsunoda believes he is worthy of being considered for the potentially available seat if Red Bull decides to replace Perez. Nonetheless, he disclosed that there haven’t been any substantial discussions regarding this possibility.
He stated, “It’s not similar to a transparent one.”
In the world of hospitality, casual conversations like this are quite common and things tend to unfold quickly. However, there’s no sense of urgency in these matters. For instance, Checo’s announcement came just a couple of races before, maybe even just one. If Checo performs exceptionally well and the other drivers also excel, then there’s no need to replace them. So, it’s hard to say for sure what will happen.
“For sure, it’s a good thing for Checo because they don’t want to create any pressure working with him and that’s definitely fair and also for myself, in the end, they want me to focus on what I’m doing right now. We don’t have serious conversations.”
Yuki Tsunoda not treating Hungarian and Belgian Grands Prix any differently
Tsunoda stated that he is not treating the Hungarian and Belgian Grands Prix any differently, despite the potential for a change in the summer break that could impact Perez and other drivers vying for his position.
He responded affirmatively, stating, “If the rumors are accurate, then yes,” when questioned about the heightened significance of the two races in light of the circumstances.
Honestly, I don’t know any specific situation at the moment. In all honesty, I probably have less information than you all do.
“All races hold immense significance ultimately. Similar to my own experience, contracts are not truly permanent, spanning over numerous years, and eventually, things tend to remain unchanged, to be completely honest. So, in a way, that is indeed true.”
He also claimed that he did not experience any added pressure heading into the double-header. He stated that he did not feel much additional pressure at the moment, as different situations could naturally bring about such pressures. He acknowledged that there are many worse pressures than what he is currently facing. He mentioned that not knowing what he would be doing the following year in the past three years was a worse situation. Ultimately, he emphasized his strong focus on the current Visa Cash App team and expressed curiosity about how things will unfold.
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