Yuki Tsunoda dismisses Red Bull rumors after Melbourne, calling them a “tradition” while McLaren’s Zak Brown backs his case for a promotion.
Yuki Tsunoda has acknowledged that Red Bull rumors tend to surface after just one bad race, calling it a “tradition” within the team.
Liam Lawson’s start with Red Bull’s senior team was challenging, as the New Zealander failed to make it past Q1 in the Australian Grand Prix. His struggles continued in the race, where he made little progress in tricky conditions before spinning out on dry tires under heavy rain.
Tsunoda, who was passed over in favor of Lawson for a potential Red Bull promotion this year, spent much of the race running in the top five. However, his strategy took a hit when Racing Bulls gambled on staying out on dry tires during the late downpour.
His strong performance caught the attention of McLaren CEO Zak Brown, who praised Tsunoda, stating, “He’s probably the perfect driver for Red Bull based on performance. But Red Bull always makes unusual choices with their driver pairings.”
When asked about Brown’s comments in China, Tsunoda responded with a mix of gratitude and pragmatism.
“I appreciate what Zak said in the media, but it’s just one race.”
“This has been happening since last year—after the very first race, people started speculating: Ricciardo replacing Perez, me replacing Checo, Liam replacing Checo…”
“It’s kind of a tradition in our camp. It’s nice to hear, but at the same time, I just need to focus on my own performance.”
Tsunoda on Red Bull Chaos: “Criticism Is Just Tradition”
“It’s also a tradition to criticize after just one bad race. Melbourne was such an unusual race, so I won’t dwell on it.”
“In the end, Red Bull made their driver decisions late last season. Maybe they have a long-term plan—who knows?”
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Red Bull’s Bold Choices: Tsunoda Reacts to Latest Gossip Red Bull’s Bold Choices: Tsunoda Reacts to Latest Gossip
