Tsunoda Overlooked: Steiner Criticizes Red Bull's Choice

Günther Steiner questions Red Bull’s decision to promote Liam Lawson, arguing that Yuki Tsunoda should have been given the opportunity.

Red Bull’s choice to appoint Liam Lawson has raised doubts from Günther Steiner. The New Zealand driver is set to make his debut in the premier category, while Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda enters his fifth season with Racing Bulls, Red Bull’s junior team.

“I don’t think it’s the ideal choice,” Steiner told GPblog. “It’s all a compromise. It’s one of the possible options. I might believe Yuki should have gotten his chance. I’m not saying ‘deserved,’ because nothing is deserved—I always say that.”

“But it would have been wiser to put him in the car for a year and see how he performs. If he’s not good, you let him go. Now, he’s stuck for another year in the Racing Bull, and that’s not motivating for him either.”

The Italian wonders about the glass ceiling limiting Tsunoda: “He’s doing the same job, but he’s not being given the step up. It’s like they’re not offering him the opportunity, so why keep him? I don’t understand. This is his fifth year in the junior team, right? Is it a junior team, or what is it?”

Steiner also advises Cadillac to consider signing an experienced driver like Sergio Pérez, who recently exited Red Bull: “If you’re Cadillac, you need someone with experience. Checo has been part of multiple teams for a long time.”

“He knows the terrain well. He could be a great help. He’d be more useful to the Americans right now than Colton Herta. Maybe put Pérez on a one-year contract. That’s much better than bringing in aging recruits. It’s an opportunity for Checo.”

“And by then, a year after processing the beating he took from Max, he’ll recover from the blow dealt by the Netherlands, which could put him in a better mindset. I’d say he could be valuable for Cadillac. I don’t want to sound cynical. He was on the front row last year. We need to be realistic.”

“Fighting for a point because the car can’t be better is one thing, but fighting for a point when your teammate with the same car is winning races puts you in a different state of mind—it’s a different kind of pressure. Checo was very good when he was with Force India, whatever its name—Racing Point.”

“He’s always excelled as an underdog. He couldn’t handle the pressure of a top team. Maybe that’s his comfort zone, where he doesn’t have the pressure to prove he’s good by winning. Instead, showing that he can score points might place him in a better position.”