There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding Yuki Tsunoda heading into the 2025 season. Despite a series of solid campaigns, the Japanese driver is in a difficult position to secure his place in F1.
This is not due to a lack of interest, with several midfield teams understood to have enquired about Tsunoda last year.
However, with Red Bull choosing to activate his option at VCARB, a lot of doors have closed in the driver market.
Tsunoda is not oblivious to his predicament, but he remains determined to prove himself on track.
Missing out on Red Bull deal is a major setback for Tsunoda
Last year wasn’t the first time that Christian Horner’s team elected against putting Tsunoda in the Red Bull.
Unlike previous years, though, the 24-year-old was building a case for a promotion that was almost impossible to ignore.
After comfortably dispatching of De Vries in 2023 (which was not Red Bull’s expectation), he went on to outqualify and outscore Daniel Ricciardo.
Historically, Red Bull have shown little hesitation in putting youngsters in the main team – even if they have relatively limited experience.
Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly and – most recently – Liam Lawson all earned Red Bull contracts with a far smaller sample size than what Tsunoda has produced since 2022.
Because of this, the Japanese driver is understandable frustrated about missing out on a seat with the main team.
However, he intends to remain upbeat about his future prospects:
“I just gotta keep doing what I’m doing,” he told Autosport.
“And my mindset won’t change. I still want that [Red Bull] seat at some point.
“But the decision they made, it’s up to them, not me.
“I didn’t ask [why], really. I think Christian mentioned that it’s not about performance.
“From what I heard from other people, they’re saying it’s not performance-related.
“It’s more like a political [reason], I don’t know. Maybe Christian didn’t really say specifically what the reason was. I didn’t care, really.
“Whatever they say, I don’t know if that’s true or not, to be honest. And in the end…
“I just told them how I feel, how I’m still motivated for next season, and that’s it.”
Different paths for the future
Despite being overlooked once again, Yuki Tsunoda insists that earning a Red Bull seat is still his target.
Whether he actually sees this as a realistic objective – or is just saying this to save face – is unclear.
What is obvious, however, is that he must be vigilant for any opportunities that arise in the market.
Christian Horner makes no secret that Tsunoda has already been at VCARB for a long time – especially for a team that typically acts as a conveyer-belt for young talent.
With Red Bull already putting immense energy and attention into the development of Arvid Lindblad – who races in F2 this season – VCARB could make a driver change for the 2026 season.
Depending on how Isack Hadjar performs in his rookie campaign, Tsunoda’s position is uncertain.
In any case, whether to secure a Red Bull seat or make himself more attractive to other teams, the 2025 campaign will be crucial for the 24-year-old.
