McLaren Chief argues against “strange” Red Bull driver choice

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has argued that Yuki Tsunoda’s performance in the Australian Grand Prix shows that he should have scored the Red Bull seat alongside Max Verstappen instead of Liam Lawson. 

At the end of the 2024 season, Red Bull decided to part ways with Sergio Perez after a couple of difficult seasons with the Mexican driver. The Austrian team ultimately decided to promote Lawson to the coveted seat alongside the four-time champion rather than Tsunoda, who is now heading into his fifth season with Red Bull’s sister team, Racing Bulls.

It is no surprise that the topic, which faced scrutiny at the time of the announcement, has resurfaced after the first Grand Prix of the 2025 season in Melbourne. During qualifying, Tsunoda secured fifth spot on the grid, whereas Lawson set the 18th fastest time. In the wet race, the latter retired and the former crossed the line in 12th.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 about Tsunoda’s performance, Brown commented: 

“I think it’s going to be a very exciting year.

“Yuki did a great job, [he’s] probably the guy that should be in the Red Bull if you look at how he’s performed. But they seem to make some strange driver choices.”

Racing Bulls sporting director Alan Permane has confirmed that the team’s goal is still to secure a seat for Tsunoda in Red Bull. He explained to the media:

“I can already see from last year a step up in Yuki in terms of mentality and focus and feedback. He has already made a big step from last season, and having him help and mentor Isack, I think would be great.

“It’s also an opportunity for Yuki to show a different side as the experienced driver. My goal for Yuki and Yuki’s goal – they’re all aligned.

“We want to get him into the Red Bull seat, and if he performs well here, there’s no reason that he shouldn’t do that, but all we can do and I can do is help him perform as well as he can here, and if at the end of the season he’s done a good enough job to graduate, then everyone will be happy.”

Tsunoda continues to push for a contract with Red Bull: “I still want that [Red Bull] seat at some point. But the decision they made – it’s up to them, not me.”