Tsunoda had to keep his promotion quite: 'Horner wanted me to be confidential'

09:15, 03 Apr

byKada Sarkozi

Yuki Tsunoda is set to begin his next chapter in Formula 1, as he will make his debut at his home Grand Prix with Red Bull Racing. The driver got tips from his predecessors.

After only two rounds, it was decided that Yuki Tsunoda will replace Liam Lawson at Red Bull. As usual, the driver got many calls afterwards.

During the press conference in Suzuka, he was asked about his phone call with team principal Christian Horner.

"He wanted me to be very confidential, so literally I didn't call anyone. Even I called, I won't say here," Max Verstappen's new teammate joked. "I just didn't really say anything. Even to my parents. So actually I said to my parents maybe the day before the news came out so pretty much. That's it."

Gasly and Perez reach out to Tsunoda

While Helmut Marko is yet to call Tsunoda after the news came out, two former Red Bull Racing drivers did contract him. To begin with, Pierre Gasly reached out to his former teammate at AlphaTauri (now called Racing Bulls). The Frenchman was also a teammate of Verstappen at the team, before he was replaced mid-season with Alex Albon.

Moreover, Sergio Perez, who was let go after the 2024 season by the Austrians, also shared tips with the Japanese driver.

"Also I got [one] from Checo as well, all the Red Bull family drivers, very supportive message and those two are very supportive to me. So very appreciated and one of the drivers I respect most, so I'm very happy," he concluded.

While the decision was joyful news for Tsunoda, it was not one for Liam Lawson. At the press conference, the driver from New Zealand also shared how he got the verdict.

This article was written in collaboration with Marnik Kok