For the majority of drivers in Formula 1, their careers are a set of sliding doors moments.
A single result can make or break a driver’s career, just ask Nyck de Vries after a one-off drive for Williams in 2022 earned him a seat at AlphaTauri – now Racing Bulls.
Although De Vries only lasted half a season, it showed that anything can happen in F1 under the right circumstances.
Four seasons into his Formula 1 career, Yuki Tsunoda was faced with his best chance yet to finally earn his coveted promotion to Red Bull.
Tsunoda admitted his dream is to race for Red Bull one day, but unfortunately, the decision didn’t go his way.
A combination of team principal Christian Horner, chief advisor Helmut Marko and the team’s shareholders instead decided to give Liam Lawson the nod to partner Max Verstappen next year.
Tsunoda impressed in a post-season test for Red Bull, but it wasn’t enough to prevent him from preparing for a fifth season of racing for their sister team in 2025.
Unfortunately, that might spell the end of Tsunoda’s chances of remaining in the Red Bull family for the foreseeable future.
A report from Autoracer suggests that Marko is already looking at a potential replacement for Tsunoda when the sport’s new regulations are introduced in 2026.
Helmut Marko lining up Arvid Lindblad to replace Yuki Tsunoda at Racing Bulls
The report from the Italian outlet suggests that Marko is willing to ‘bet heavily’ on Red Bull’s academy and in particular Arvid Lindblad in the near future.
Lindblad was the youngest driver in Formula 3 last season, but still managed to finish fourth in the championship, winning four races including the season opener in Bahrain.
The British teenager will race for Campos in F2 in 2025, but not before a stint in the Formula Regional Oceania Championship, a move designed to help him earn points towards an FIA Superlicense.
Marko has described Lindblad as outstanding on the Inside Line Podcast and has very high hopes for the 17-year-old.
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Lindblad only turns 18 in August, meaning he’ll be attempting to follow in the footsteps of Mercedes youngster Andrea Kimi Antonelli by reaching F1 at such an age.
Marko has shown ‘little patience’ when it comes to talents like Lindblad and the report states he could ‘push for a quick jump to F1’ to replace Tsunoda if Lindblad starts brightly in Formula 2.
Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar could both be under pressure from Arvid Lindblad in 2025
Tsunoda is expected to leave Racing Bulls next winter given Honda’s partnership with the Red Bull group coming to an end.
The Japanese driver has come close to being promoted on several occasions and seen off teammate after teammate without ever standing out enough for Horner’s liking.
His newest teammate Isack Hadjar for the final driver confirmed for the 2025 season as finishing runner-up in F2 last year.
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In an ideal world, Racing Bulls may have gone with Franco Colapinto if he was cheaper to release from his Williams deal.
Red Bull have had question marks over Hadjar and if he underperforms, Lindblad will want to make sure he’s on hand to step into either Racing Bulls seat if it becomes available.
There hasn’t been this much excitement about a Red Bull youngster since Verstappen, but Lindblad will be aware of just how much work he still needs to do before he reaches F1.
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