CEO of VCARB confirms: 'We want this driver in our car in '25''
F1 News
- Ludo van Denderen
Almost every race, Yuki Tsunoda is the superior of his teammate Daniel Ricciardo, yet a move to Red Bull Racing is not in the cards for the Japanese. With Sergio Perez likely to be Max Verstappen's teammate again, Tsunoda needs to look further afield. Audi, meanwhile, is a serious option for him. Should that come to nothing, there is one place Tsunoda can always go: his current team Visa Cash App RB.
Indeed, CEO Peter Bayer is extremely pleased with the Japanese driver's development. "I definitely believe he has made a big step forward. It's physical preparation, but it's also his mental readiness to perform and deliver. One example I mentioned the other day: I think he simply understood that every time he would be swearing on the radio, that would cost him a tenth. So he's got himself under control."
VCARB wants to continue with Tsunoda
According to the CEO, Tsunoda is extremely professional in his dealings with engineers. Asked offhand whether VCARB would like him in '25 as well, Bayer says: "Yes." Who should be his teammate also seems fairly clear. Despite his still lower form, Ricciardo is on pole to take the second seat at Red Bull Racing's sister team.
"I think we're very happy with both of our drivers. And honestly, we're not wasting time with discussing ifs and whens. We have a very strong line-up. We have a great reserve driver. We have great talent coming through F2, F3. And currently, it's all about focusing on performance. And perhaps the focus is more on Aston Martin in front of us than on driver discussions," Bayer said.
This article was written in collaboration with Sophia Crothall.