Someone has taken stand for Yuki Tsunoda in 2025. Read ahead to find out more
May 6, 2022; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands talk with the media alongside AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda of Japan during a press conference before their practice session for the Miami Grand Prix at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Yuki Tsunoda has been on the Formula 1 grid for five years. He has the backing of Honda, which supplied Red Bull’s power units until 2025. A part of the Red Bull Junior Driver programme, Yuki Tsunoda is the topic of discussion in Formula 1. Red Bull vacated their second seat ahead of the 2025 Formula 1 season. There were many names for the famed second seat- Daniel Ricciardo, Liam Lawson, Carlos Sainz Jr. and Yuki Tsunoda. However, the announcement made by Red Bull shocked everyone in the paddock.
The Milton Keynes team decided to choose Liam Lawson for the seat over their experienced driver, Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese driver is in danger of losing his seat. Christian Horner is doubting the probability of Yuki staying with Red Bull after they have failed to provide him with a seat in the main team. Red Bull has had a history of failures with their drivers.
Helmut Marko’s decisions at Red Bull have destroyed countless careers in Formula 1. Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon are the prime example of Red Bull’s mistakes which weigh heavily on them. Is Yuki Tsunoda going to become the next victim of Red Bull’s cut-throat competition and bad choices?
Zak Brown Snubs Red Bull for Choosing Liam Lawson
Zak Brown is no stranger to troubles with Red Bull. The McLaren chief was a part of the intense battle for the two championships in the 2024 Formula 1 season. His team managed to prepare a car that was able to surpass Red Bull and beat them in their own game. McLaren’s ace Lando Norris could not win the championship against Max Verstappen.
But, McLaren managed to chip away enough points to claim their first constructor’s title in a decade. Red Bull and McLaren had many controversial moments together in Formula 1. Christian Horner’s comments in the recent Drive to Survive season about Zak Brown perfectly summarises their relationship.
Brown’s McLaren is ahead of the competition in 2025 and has comfortably defeated Red Bull in the first race of the season. However, Zak Brown is at odds with Red Bull yet again. This time, he has ridiculed Red Bull for their driver decisions. Brown praised Yuki Tsunoda for his incredible qualifying performance. But he took a step further and criticised Red bull for choosing Liam Lawson.
“Yuki did a great job, probably the guy who should be in the Red Bull – if you look at how he’s performed. But they seem to make some strange driver choices from time to time.”
Brown’s voice resonated with the fans who took a dig at Red Bull. Liam Lawson’s poor performance in qualifying added fuel to fire, as fans speculated the reason Red Bull chose to omit Tsunoda. Nevertheless, Zak Brown has restarted a long standing debate about Yuki Tsunoda’s career at Red Bull. The Australian Grand Prix results bore witness to this silent struggle between the two junior drivers of Red Bull.
Yuki Tsunoda and Red Bull- A Pair That Could Never Come True
Red Bull changes drivers like seasons. Yet, there is one junior driver who has managed to secure his seat year after year at their sister team. Yuki Tsunoda has been the lead driver at AlphaTauri and now VisaCashApp RB for five years. He debuted in 2020 for his first full season in Formula 1. Initially, Yuki was constantly defeated by his much experienced and faster teammate Pierre Gasly. To make things worse, Tsunoda’s frequent outbursts didn’t help him either. He became the problem child of Red Bull with Marko commenting, “continued to rant in the corners, so that inhibits performances”.
Tsunoda’s career went downhill until the 2022 season when he made a comeback against Gasly. He was paired with Nyck De Vries after Gasly’s exit in 2023. De Vries had won championships in Formula E and Formula 2 previously. But, Tsunoda struck the nail on the coffin of De Vries’s career with his superior results. He was immediately subbed out for Daniel Ricciardo.
The 2024 Formula 1 season saw Tsunoda regularly beat Daniel Ricciardo. He went toe to toe with Lawson after Red Bull unceremoniously dropped Ricciardo from the team. Yuki Tsunoda’s performance coupled with Sergio Perez’s failures created a new hope for his fans. There was a chance that Tsunoda would start the 2025 season as a Red Bull driver. Yet, 2025 came and Tsunoda was simply relegated to the role of a reserve driver at Red Bull.
Tsunoda Was Frustrated with Red Bull
In an interview with Motorsports.com, Tsunoda shed light on his mental state, “Like, I was never really the first contender. It was always some other driver. You know, I just beat Daniel, and still… whoever comes in next to me, he’s the one who gets considered first – even though he hasn’t raced much yet. So in those situations, yeah, I was definitely frustrated. And that’s why, partly, the decision doesn’t make sense at all.”
“So yeah, it was quite hard to control myself on the track – not to show frustration, to stay consistent, not to… not to let it affect my emotions too much. That was the hardest part. But once the season finished, I was only thinking about how to show my performance.”
Now that Honda is leaving Red Bull in favor of Aston Martin, will Yuki Tsunoda have to give up on the top seat? Honda has been backing the driver since his early days. Maybe, its time for Yuki Tsunoda to find himself a better and deserving team, like his seniors, Gasly and Albon.
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I work as a Writer at The Playoffs specialising in NHL, Formula 1 and Motorsports. I got into online journalism a couple of years ago. I used to be an intern for a website managing their Formula 1 content and then I served an entire year as a contractual writer.
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For me, online journalism was not something I expected. I am a Mechanical Engineer aiming to join Formula 1. At the same time, I am a poet, writer and my university’s Literary Club Lead. One day the dots connected together and I realised I could use my writing skills to convey my passion for Motorsports.
The biggest aspects I love about my role are- Scuderia Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel. When I am not fawning over them I like to convey my opinions to the public, in a manner which helps them gain a new point of view. I love helping people explore new ideas about Motorsports and obviously get recognised as a writer all over the world.
Message to Readers: I promise you one day you’ll see me managing operations on track with a Formula 1 team ; )
