Red Bull Not Ruling Out Yuki Tsunoda For The Future

Saajan Jogia | 11 Hours Ago

Nov 20, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Visa Cash App RB driver Yuki Tsunoda (22) poses for photos at Las Vegas Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

VCARB driver Yuki Tsunoda, who was in contention for promotion to Red Bull alongside Liam Lawson, ultimately missed out as Lawson was confirmed to replace Sergio Perez. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner disclosed that the decision was a close call, made collectively by the team. Tsunoda delivered an impressive performance during the recent Red Bull post-season test in the RB20 F1 car, and Horner has not ruled out the possibility of the Japanese driver joining Red Bull in the future.

Considering Perez's dwindling performance, both drivers in Red Bull's junior team were being assessed closely after Lawson replaced Daniel Ricciardo following the Singapore Grand Prix weekend. Red Bull extended Perez's contract for two years in June, with Horner revealing his regret recently after the team lost the top two spots in the Constructors' Championship due to the points disparity between Perez and his teammate Max Verstappen.

Horner revealed that the team eventually came to the conclusion that Lawson had more "potential" to take on the big role of being Max Verstappen's teammate. He said:

"I think the feeling within the team is that the trajectory Liam is on has more potential, which is why we've taken that route.

"But that doesn't rule Yuki out in the future - it was a very split decision and Yuki certainly impressed the team when he tested in Abu Dhabi. 

"His feedback was good and, if required, he would be there to be drawn upon if we needed to. 

"We have a lot of information available to us, and 11 races is a short amount of time, but if you delve closely into [Liam's] performances in qualifying, the margins to Yuki were very tight, and on race pace, he's come out, on average, above Yuki. 

"There is very little to choose between them, but when you look and consider that Liam is still only 11 races and already at that level, the potential for growth is still significant."

The team boss added that the Kiwi driver's ability to handle more pressure led him to secure the coveted seat on the F1 grid. He added:

"What has really stood out with him has been his attitude and his ability to deal with pressure, Brazil was an interesting one.

"All the rookies looked a little bit like rookies, but Liam didn't drop the car, he didn't make mistakes and looked like a seasoned campaigner, and he is agile as well. 

"He has got broad shoulders, which you need to be in that seat, and Checo, certainly for three of the four years coped with that pressure, and Liam has got the right character to cope with the pressure of being Max's team-mate and the expectations on him are very clear.

"We are not expecting him to beat Max, he is a generational talent, but the objective is for Liam to be as close as he can and bag as many points so we don't have a 285 points deficit between the cars."