“Just going to continue what I’m doing”: Yuki Tsunoda hopeful of becoming Max Verstappen’s teammate after strong Las Vegas outing
Yuki Tsunoda remains uncertain whether a strong performance at the Las Vegas GP would be enough to securepotential promotion to Red Bull Racing. Speaking to media, including Sportskeeda, ahead of the 2024 Qatar GP, the VCARB driver emphasized his focus on delivering consistent performances to impress his employers.
Speculation surrounding Sergio Perez's current seat alongside Max Verstappen has fueled discussions about potential changes within the Red Bull camp. With Perez under scrutiny for his underperformance, the six final races of the season have been viewed as a shootout between Red Bull junior drivers Tsunoda and Liam Lawson.
Tsunoda has consistently outperformed Lawson in qualifying since the Austin GP and delivered a strong P7 finish in Las Vegas. However, he remains cautious, acknowledging that one strong result is no guarantee of a promotion. He believes the decision ultimately lies with Red Bull, who will evaluate his performances across the entire season before making any changes. With just two race weekends left on the calendar, Tsunoda is determined to maintain his form and make his case for the coveted seat.
Asked if the Las Vegas performance was enough to impress his employers to potentially consider him for a promotion to Red Bull for 2025, Yuki Tsunoda said:
“Yeah I mean P7 is pretty good. The thing is Pierre did the P3, so you know that made a little bit less bright. But I was still P7 between McLarens is pretty good I guess and quite close to Max as well I mean not just last. Because I guess throughout the year, I think I’ve shown I’m quite good and it's up to them. I'm just gonna do whatever I can to hopefully there's no much reason to point it out the reason that why they don't want to put me in Red Bull. Just so next few races I'm just gonna keep what I'm doing and try to show my performance consistently.”
Yuki Tsunoda reckons Red Bull could have changed its approach on the driver lineup
Yuki Tsunoda believes the dynamics and philosophy within Red Bull regarding driver promotions may have evolved since the death of Dr. Dietrich Mateschitz. Speaking ahead of the Qatar GP, the VCARB driver stated he was baffled about not being seriously considered for a potential promotion to the senior team despite his performances. Historically, strong performances within the Red Bull junior program often led to promotions, but Tsunoda noted that the criteria might have shifted in recent years.
The 22-year-old suggested that while this change might not necessarily be negative, it has made the pathway less predictable. He emphasized that Red Bull has always championed the progression of its juniors, highlighting that Max Verstappen himself is a product of the same system. Tsunoda remains hopeful that the philosophy of elevating talented juniors to the senior team continues, even if the process or benchmarks have changed under new leadership. For now, his focus remains on delivering consistent performances to keep himself in the conversation.
Asked if he was frustrated that despite outperforming two of his teammates this year, he hasn’t been linked to the Red Bull drive, Yuki Tsunoda replied:
“Historically looking back, I mean, it's pretty natural that the driver, for example, in our team (VCARB), if one of the drivers, outperforms the other driver, like this consistently last few years, gets promoted. It's kind of a natural thing, I guess. I don't know, maybe something changed, like yeah, dynamics changed, maybe after Red Bull itself changed, you know, after, yeah, Mr. Mateschitz passed away, I don't know."
"I mean, still one of the drivers, got a drivers' championship, and the team that who had, who had success since quite a long time. So you know what they're doing is I guess it's not a bad thing, but it doesn't really make sense for me that I didn't really mean in the mix much so far. So I don't know much for myself, at least I can’t find much reason that they're not really so far talking about me heavily. But let's see how it goes.”
Historically, drivers from the Red Bull junior team, such as Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon, have been promoted to the senior team. However, the last two drivers to successfully make that jump and thrive in the senior team were Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, nearly a decade ago. Since then, the pathway for Red Bull juniors has become less clear, and the team has not been as consistent in promoting drivers from its academy.
Yuki Tsunoda, currently in his fourth season with the Red Bull junior team, is one of the latest to hope for such a promotion. However, the future remains uncertain for him, despite beating Lawson and Ricciardo. With Sergio Perez underperforming this season, there is speculation that Red Bull may look for a new driver alongside Verstappen, despite Perez’s contract running until the end of 2025.
The decision regarding the driver lineup for 2025 is expected to be made after the Abu Dhabi GP, during the winter break, adding further tension and anticipation for drivers like Tsunoda and Lawson as they await their fates.