F1 News: Yuki Tsunoda Continues Fight For Red Bull - 'Pushing Since The First Race'

Yuki Tsunoda is striving to secure a Red Bull Racing seat amidst competition from Liam Lawson.

Oct 18, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team driver Yuki Tsunoda (22) of Team Japan walks through the paddock area before practice for the 2024 US Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

24-year-old Japanese Formula 1 driver Yuki Tsunoda is actively pursuing an opportunity to test a Red Bull F1 car in order to hopefully secure a seat in 2025. Despite his commendable performance as part of the VCARB team, Red Bull Racing's sister team, Tsunoda faces stiff competition from New Zealander Liam Lawson and skepticism from Red Bull concerning promoting him to the main team.

Tsunoda has consistently shown improvement in his driving, outperforming his teammates Nyck de Vries and Daniel Ricciardo since the beginning of the 2023 season. These developments strengthen his ambition to join Red Bull Racing. Yet, his path to achieving this goal appears uncertain as Red Bull remains hesitant to confirm him a spot, primarily because of Sergio Perez's current role, despite his recent poor performance.

Perez, who signed a two-year contract with Red Bull in June 2024, significantly trails his teammate Max Verstappen by 204 points. This performance gap revitalizes the discussions around Red Bull's future driver lineup, with Helmut Marko hinting at possible changes before the 2025 season. Liam Lawson, who has been brought in to replace Daniel Ricciardo for the remainder of the season, emerges as a potential contender for company with Verstappen, challenging Tsunoda's aspirations.

Despite the uncertainties, optimism for Tsunoda arises from Honda Racing Corporation President Koji Watanabe. He indicated that Red Bull had not ruled out the possibility of giving Tsunoda a test drive opportunity.

Speaking to the media ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix weekend, Tsunoda commented:

“I think that things will I think happen, maybe.

“But the Red Bull Racing thing, you never know until the day. So, just focus on what I have to do now.

“Definitely Honda helped me to push that testing,” he said. “Very appreciative to them.

“Obviously I was pushing since the first race as well. Even probably last year.

“Kind of [a] mix between I kind of able to show a result, I step up a bit more compared to last year, and Honda also did a bit, definitely pushed to Red Bull as well.”

The upcoming post-season test in Abu Dhabi this December becomes pivotal for Tsunoda. Although there is still no confirmation of his participation, this test represents a significant platform for Tsunoda. He added:

“Yeah, it’s a very good opportunity. At least finally I can show a bit of my driving, they can see how I’m driving.

“I think it’s very important. At least, it feels great. Finally be given the opportunity.

“I don’t know still if it will happen or not. I mean it’s not something even I heard from them directly, at least. So yeah, I’ll try to maximise the opportunity.”