Why Tsunoda is not taken seriously for a seat at Red Bull Racing

Yuki Tsunoda is now in his fourth season in Formula 1. In his first year, Tsunoda still made a somewhat rough impression, but over the years, the young Japanese driver has developed well. The diamond in the rough is becoming more and more consistent and easily outclassed his teammate last season.

It should also not be forgotten that Tsunoda was actually in Europe for a very short period before making his debut in F1. In 2019, Tsunoda made his debut in Europe in Formula 3. A year later, he was already put into F2 by Helmut Marko, and another year later he was promoted to AlphaTauri.

Why is Tsunoda not taken seriously?

Tsunoda showed from day one that he is fast, but has had to learn to hold back a bit here and there, both on and off the track. In addition, his communication over team radio has also been a major area for improvement. All those requirements Tsunoda now seems to meet, but he is still not seriously in the picture for a promotion to Red Bull Racing.

It is somewhat remarkable, as Tsunoda was already very close to Pierre Gasly in 2022, then got the 'experienced' Nyck de Vries next to him as a benchmark and drove superbly compared to the Dutchman. Red Bull threw De Vries out and thought they were bringing in a new benchmark with Daniel Ricciardo, but Tsunoda also managed to win the duel with Ricciardo.

It may say something about his rivals, but it also says something about Tsunoda. He has become the leader of VCARB. Pierre Gasly and Alexander Albon were promoted to Red Bull Racing after one and half years in the sister team respectively, Tsunoda now has much more experience under his belt.

Yet again, it is Perez who is preferred above. Perez cannot be said to be performing above expectations, quite the contrary. That Tsunoda has still not entered the picture clearly shows that Red Bull Racing does not see an option in him.

Helmut Marko does seem to be a fan of Tsunoda. He previously suggested that Tsunoda is doing better than people expected. However, Marko's influence has waned with the whole battle with Christian Horner. Horner, backed by the Thai owner, now makes the decisions, and he clearly sees more in Perez.

Horner has publicly protected Perez often enough. Horner is also the one who was keen to bring Perez in and has also been a big advocate of Daniel Ricciardo's return. After all, Tsunoda was also more or less put in Red Bull Racing's shoes by Honda. The same Honda that pulled the plug on the engine project and who will now partner with Aston Martin from 2026.

What are the options for Tsunoda?

This immediately establishes the link to Aston Martin-Honda. Tsunoda is still a Honda junior and Honda would love to have a Japanese driver in the car. However, there is one problem: Lance Stroll. Lance Stroll is extremely unlikely to give up his seat at Aston Martin, and with a long deal for Fernando Alonso, there is simply no place on the team for the next few years.

Still, it makes sense for Tsunoda to look at the alternatives. Visa Cash App RB is not a bad place to be at the moment. There is a lot of investment in the team and a lot of staff have been recruited to make it a mature team. Still, the team remains a sister team to Red Bull Racing. Does Tsunoda remain a driver on loan from Red Bull Racing, who can often only count on a one-year deal? Does he want it any longer, especially as it becomes increasingly clear that a move to Red Bull Racing will never be feasible anyway?

Clearly, Tsunoda is having those talks in the meantime. At two teams, his name is mentioned emphatically: Audi and Haas. At Audi, Tsunoda is the third option. Carlos Sainz does not seem to want to and Esteban Ocon is also leaning towards Haas rather than Audi. It would open the door for Tsunoda to a team that will become a factory team in 2026. Although Tsunoda would be the third choice there, he does fit the profile of a fast and experienced F1 driver.

Should Ocon opt for Audi anyway, the seat at Haas will become vacant for Tsunoda. There, they are looking for experience with Nico Hulkenberg's imminent departure too. Kevin Magnussen also seems to be on his way out, so Haas could use some experience. Tsunoda would fit the bill there just fine.

These are two teams that are currently underperforming VCARB. So it would mean a step back for Tsunoda. On the other hand, it would give him the chance to stand on his own two feet, possibly sign a multi-year deal and crawl out of Red Bull's nest. Sainz and Albon have shown that sometimes that can also mean a successful route.