Yuki Tsunoda has outlasted several teammates since the beginning of 2023 – establishing himself as a reliable source of points for VCARB. Despite this, even his standout performances will do little in convincing Red Bull to promote him.
Tsunoda set to be unrewarded for strong results
It is unusual for drivers to spend more than a few years at Red Bull’s second team.
The last person to spend an extended period at the Faenza squad was Pierre Gasly, who eventually opted to join Alpine after losing hope of joining the main team.
Yuki Tsunoda, his former teammate, is in a similar position.
For several seasons, the Japanese driver has performed at a consistently high level for VCARB.
Even before comfortably dispatching of Nyck De Vries in the first half of 2023, Tsunoda was already matching Pierre Gasly in their second season as teammates.
The 24-year-old’s progression is difficult to dispute. His outstanding P3 result in Brazil qualifying (followed by P7 on race day) is the latest evidence of his growth.
However, none of this information is relevant in Red Bull’s current perception.
Even at the beginning of this season, when Tsunoda was regularly outperforming Daniel Ricciardo, the disparity between the two drivers was not seen as a triumph for Tsunoda – but instead a failure on Ricciardo’s behalf.
In a similar way, Yuki Tsunoda finds himself in a lose-lose scenario against Liam Lawson.
Other drivers ahead in Red Bull’s shortlist
On the occasions that Lawson outperforms the Japanese driver, Red Bull are swift to praise the Kiwi.
When the roles are reversed, Red Bull do not necessarily see this as a positive for Tsunoda.
Assuming Lawson is within a few tenths, the reigning Champions are still inclined to interpret that result in his favour. In most cases, Red Bull point towards Lawson’s limited experience – meaning that being close to Tsunoda is still a ‘win’ for Lawson.
As evidenced on numerous occasions in 2024, Christian Horner is not hugely enthusiastic about Tsunoda as a Red Bull candidate.
Given that the British team principal has become more influential than Helmut Marko, this is a decisive factor.
Moreover, the emergence of Franco Colapinto has given the Milton Keynes team another alternative for next season.
Considering that Tsunoda was hardly on the radar anyway, a promotion has become even more unlikely.
