Tsunoda Doubts Red Bull Promotion Despite Strong Year

Tsunoda believes he’s earned a shot at Red Bull, but remains uncertain about his future, acknowledging the team’s decision lies beyond his control.

Yuki Tsunoda is convinced he should be given a chance at Red Bull Racing next year, believing he has shown enough to warrant a promotion to the main team, even though another season at RB F1 seems likely.

“Based on what I’ve done this year, it’s clear I should have a chance,” Tsunoda said. “But I don’t know, it’s up to them to decide. This is Formula 1, one of the most political sports, and anything can happen.”

“I’m sure the final race here is very important. But for me, every race has felt very important so far. Because from the first race, if I hadn’t beaten Daniel [Ricciardo], I’d be the one sitting on the couch right now.”

However, the Japanese driver is preparing for the possibility of not being promoted: “I would be surprised, but looking back, I wouldn’t really be. Let’s see who drives that seat. Depending on the driver, I could be surprised, but… I don’t know. There are a lot of rumors, and it’s hard to predict what they’re thinking.”

Tsunoda revealed that Red Bull Racing’s Christian Horner told him he was “keeping an eye” on his performances, and Red Bull will be able to assess him during the end-of-season tests, as Tsunoda will drive the RB20.

“Every race has been important, I’ll just focus on my performance. These are tests, so I’ll hope to perform well and meet the level they want, and then it will be up to them to decide. I could have done better in a few races, but compared to previous seasons, this has been my best.”

“I’ve scored nearly twice as many points [compared to the other car] and have regularly been ahead of my teammate. They trusted me, and I provided feedback to help develop the car and move the team forward, and I really made a step forward in those areas.”

The driver would like to remain within the Red Bull fold after 2025, when Honda will join Aston Martin, but he knows it will depend on his management: “In any case, I like Red Bull and I’m happy to continue with them, but it depends on what they think. It always depends on what they think.”

Tsunoda also confirms he has no say in the matter: “To be honest, I don’t really know what they want. But as a driver, I can’t keep relying on them. Especially since there have been many discussions. So it’s always good to have something, an option.”

“But so far, I’m not necessarily trying to find it, to be honest. The current situation, I’m not saying… It’s not always a very bad situation right now. It depends, I think, on the car I’ll drive next year and how next season goes.”

He believes his ties to Honda have nothing to do with his lack of opportunities at Red Bull: “I don’t think the reason they didn’t want to put me in the Red Bull or anything else is related to the Honda-Aston thing, to be honest, from my point of view. Otherwise, it doesn’t really make sense.”