Yuki Tsunoda has now become Max Verstappen’s fifth different Red Bull teammate since Daniel Ricciardo’s 2018 exit. And he’ll hope to avoid the fate of the last four.
Ricciardo was the last driver who truly put Verstappen under pressure. He beat him in the standings in their first full season together (2017), though the Dutchman was comfortably ahead a year later.
As Verstappen has improved, Red Bull have developed their car more in accordance with his preferences. Ricciardo’s immediate replacement, Pierre Gasly, was dropped midway through the 2019 season.
Alex Albon took over and briefly showed promise before falling away, which prompted Red Bull to sign Sergio Perez instead. Perez can’t argue he wasn’t given time, earning a contract extension that took him to the end of the 2024 season, but the team ultimately cancelled his deal.
In the most remarkable turn of events so far, Lawson lasted just two races before Christian Horner and Helmut Marko gave up hope. Tsunoda has been ‘promoted’ to a slower car, in the opinion of Jolyon Palmer, for his home race in Japan.
Pierre Gasly’s friendship with Yuki Tsunoda clear after Red Bull announcement
After Red Bull officially confirmed their driver swap on Thursday morning, Tsunoda offered his reaction on Instagram. He wrote ‘ready for the challenge ahead’, accompanied by his first official photo in his new colours.
Gasly was the first of his fellow drivers to comment. He partnered a rookie Tsunoda at AlphaTauri (now Racing Bulls) in 2021, and they spent two seasons together before the Frenchman joined Alpine.
The one-time F1 race-winner wrote ‘looking sharp’ and will no doubt wish the 24-year-old well. They formed a strong friendship during their days at the de facto junior team.
Elsewhere, former MotoGP rider Takaaki Nakagami added that he was ‘looking forward to it’. No Japanese driver has ever won a race, and only three (Aguri Suzuki, Takuma Sato and Kamui Kobayashi) have stood on the podium.
Liam Lawson will completely agree with what Pierre Gasly said about his Red Bull exit
Gasly will also be uniquely sympathetic to Lawson as the last Red Bull driver to lose his seat mid-season. He at least made it until the summer break.
Red Bull indicated that they’d keep Gasly before performing a u-turn. He would have been within his rights to feel betrayed, and the same could be said for Lawson.
Speaking on the Beyond the Grid podcast in 2023, Gasly suggested that he wasn’t treated fairly.
“100% [I know why it didn’t work out],” he reflected. “I know they are smart people. They might have their own opinions on certain things, but there are clear things were obvious and it’s the way that it was.
“It wasn’t really fair. But I’ve learned this sport is not always fair. I really closed the chapter when I left AlphaTauri.”
While he may express similar sentiments himself, Karun Chandhok hopes Lawson can emulate Gasly and Albon by flourishing elsewhere, assuming the Red Bull route has now closed.
