Visa Cash App RB driver Yuki Tsunoda knows how important the final race of the 2024 Formula 1 season could be for his long-term future.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will decide the Constructors’ Championship between McLaren and Ferrari, but also, ultimately, the final driver line-up for Red Bull and RB in 2025.
While three of the four positions within those two teams are technically confirmed for next year, there’s an awful lot that looks set to change.
Max Verstappen will stay where he is next year, but Sergio Perez looks set to be moved on by Red Bull.
Yuki Tsunoda has already signed a new deal with RB, however, his current teammate Liam Lawson still hasn’t agreed to a contract for 2025.
Lawson was brought in to replace Daniel Ricciardo when it became clear he wasn’t a legitimate candidate to step into Perez’s seat.
With Franco Colapinto not in the frame to join Red Bull anymore, it appears to be a shootout between Tsunoda and Lawson for a potential promotion.
How Yuki Tsunoda performs in the Red Bull simulator compared to Max Verstappen
A lot has been made of the fact that in his four years as a Formula 1 driver, Tsunoda has never been given the chance to test for Red Bull.
That will change in the post-season test after the race in Abu Dhabi when – after some pressure from his primary backers Honda – Tsunoda will finally get his chance in the RB20.
Journalist Tim Hauraney was speaking on the Nailing The Apex Podcast about Tsunoda’s future and how he’s performed behind the scenes at Red Bull and said: “At the end of the day, Verstappen chews up and spits out teammates
“When have we seen a driver really hold their own aside from Daniel Riccardo against Max Verstappen?
“And even then we can argue that Daniel may not have been able to really hold his own because he left.
READ MORE: Visa Cash App RB driver Yuki Tsunoda’s life outside F1 from height to parents
“So there’s a lot of ifs, ands or buts. I think Yuki Tsunoda deserves a shot.
“I mean, even though he is getting a test and he’s done well in the Red Bull simulator comparatively to what Max does.
“Again, that’s a simulator. But again, I really do feel like he deserves a shot.”
Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson fighting to join Max Verstappen at Red Bull
There are arguments for and against both Tsunoda and Lawson being promoted next season.
It’s encouraging that Tsunoda has performed well compared to Verstappen’s times in the simulator, but recreating that form in a race of qualifying is a different matter.
Red Bull have concerns about Tsunoda’s temperament which would be tested when he may be asked to regularly support Verstappen’s race rather than concentrate on his own.
READ MORE: How Liam Lawson’s RB test times compared to Tsunoda and Ricciardo’s qualifying efforts at Monza
Lawson isn’t far off Tsunoda’s performance levels already, but as Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly have shown in the past, showing early potential at Red Bull’s sister team guarantees nothing when trying to make that step up.
Christian Horner and Helmut Marko have a tough decision to make and one that arguably should have been settled months ago when it was clear that Perez’s form has significantly dipped.
It’s admirable that they gave him the chance to try and regain some of the ability he’s shown in the past, but the nature of his potential exit will be interesting to see given how poorly Ricciardo’s departure in Singapore was handled.
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