Yuki Tsunoda has finally completed his first proper run in a Red Bull car four years after making his Formula 1 debut.
RB – known at the time as AlphaTauri – promoted Yuki Tsunoda from Red Bull’s famed junior program in 2021 to partner Pierre Gasly.
They formed a popular partnership on the grid before Gasly moved on at the end of the 2022 season to join Alpine.
That handed Nyck de Vries his brief chance in Formula 1 but Tsunoda comprehensively saw him off, forcing RB to bring in Daniel Ricciardo halfway through the campaign.
Ricciado – an eight-time race winner – also underperformed compared to Tsunoda and for the last six races, Tsunoda has been up against Liam Lawson.
A 6-0 drubbing in qualifying and scoring more points than the Kiwi should put Tsunoda in pole position for a Red Bull race seat.
Sergio Perez could lose his seat in the winter break, but Tsunoda doesn’t appear to be their first choice for the seat.
Lawson is expected to replace Perez should the Mexican driver be moved on despite having competed in just 11 Grand Prix during his career.
One of team principal Christian Horner’s main concerns, via Autosport, about Tsunoda is his communication.
What Red Bull’s head of performance engineering Ben Waterhouse has said about Tsunoda, via The Race, after his long-awaited post-sesaon test suggests that may no longer be an issue.
Yuki Tsunoda debunks Christian Horner’s worry about his communication
Talking about how Tsunoda fared on Tuesday, Waterhouse said that Tsunoda provided ‘excellent feedback’ before saying he ‘offered valuable insight on the tyre changes Pirelli will introduce for next year’.
Tsunoda’s lap times didn’t compare to Perez’s in Abu Dhabi, but shouldn’t be a concern to Red Bull.
The Japanese driver was testing Pirelli’s 2025 tyres and given he completed more than 125 laps, he wasn’t pushing at 100% to set the best time possible.
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Talking about the opportunity, Tsunoda said: “The Abu Dhabi post-season test has been so fun. It’s the first time in the past four years that I have driven a different car.
“You can physically feel why the RB20 has been fighting for a championship this year, I feel a clear difference to what I was driving [before].
“The tyre degradation was feeling much less compared to what I had in the previous car – that was much more sensitive and extra.
“We have had a very productive day so I am really happy with that.
“There is still a lot of learning that I have to do but the team have done a great job of preparing such a great run, it’s been such an enjoyable atmosphere in the garage.”
Yuki Tsunoda has to consider his future if he’s snubbed by Red Bull for 2025
Horner has concerns about Tsunoda beyond his communication that make a promotion unlikely for next season.
Tsunoda’s Honda connections also pose a problem with the power unit supplier moving on after the 2025 campaign comes to an end.
Horner is very excited about youngster Arvid Lindblad and if moving Tsunoda on offers him an F1 seat in 2026, it’s an option he’ll certainly want to take.
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It leaves Tsunoda in an awkward position with Honda only working alongside Aston Martin from 2026 onwards.
Unless Fernando Alonso decides its time to retire, Aston Martin won’t have a seat available for him given Lance Stroll is guaranteed a place on the F1 grid for the foreseeable future.
Next year is likely to be the most important of Tsunoda’s Formula 1 career to secure his long-term future.
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