For a handful of drivers, each Formula 1 season is an opportunity to try and become a world champion.
However, the rest of the 2025 F1 grid will simply be hoping to secure good enough results to stay in the paddock and eventually earn the chance to fight for titles one day.
Last year’s F1 driver market was particularly chaotic after Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari set off a chain reaction of signings between teams that has led to only two manufacturers retaining their line-ups from 2024.
Many of the drivers who signed new contracts were tied down to multi-year deals.
While a lot of these drivers will know that their contracts aren’t worth the paper they’re written on if they don’t perform, it does theoretically mean that the driver market will be much calmer this year.
However, for the handful of racers who are entering the last year of their agreements, the pressure is certainly on.
Commentator and F1 expert Harry Benjamin was speaking on Instagram and previewing the upcoming season.
Among his predictions for 2025 was the future of Racing Bulls driver Yuki Tsunoda.
Benjamin is unsure that the driver who has 14 DNFs to his name during his F1 career will still be on the grid at the beginning of next year.
Harry Benjamin thinks Yuki Tsunoda could lose his F1 seat after 2025
Benjamin was making several predictions ahead of the season starting and said: “Yuki Tsunoda, overlooked for the Red Bull seat.
“Probably [his] last year in the Red Bull family because his relationship really comes via Honda.
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“They’re joining Aston Martin exclusively from 2026. Could Tsunoda find a home there? Doubtful.
“Lance Stroll could decide he’s had enough but regardless of how well Yuki goes this year, could it be his last in Formula 1?”
Tsunoda was overlooked by Red Bull to replace Sergio Perez at the end of 2024 when the Mexican’s performances fell below a certain level.
Unfortunately for the 24-year-old, team principal Christian Horner decided to promote his teammate Liam Lawson instead.
Whether being signed by Red Bull would extend his Formula 1 career is another matter given how difficult it is to go up against Max Verstappen.
Why Yuki Tsunoda needs to be considering his options going into 2025
Unfortunately, as Benjamin alludes to, Tsunoda’s presence in the Red Bull system beyond 2025 may have nothing to do with his performances.
He’s been heavily backed by Honda and with Red Bull producing their own power units from next year, they have less need to retain Tsunoda.
Red Bull are very excited about Arvid Lindblad and if he has a successful Formula 2 campaign, they’ll want to find a seat for him within Racing Bulls for next year.
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That also puts Isack Hadjar under pressure as Red Bull have pushed Lindblad to take part in the Formula Regional Oceania Championship before the F2 season begins so that he has enough superlicense points to immediately start racing in Formula 1 if required.
Tsunoda had several offers to leave RB in 2024, but a contract extension was triggered before he could properly explore those options.
He’ll have to hope that interest still exists in a few months if he learns that his time with the Red Bull team is over.
