Even though Ralf Schumacher had urged Yuki Tsunoda to turn down a Red Bull promotion, that would have been impossible anyway.

That is because – as revealed by Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko and former boss of their junior F1 team Franz Tost – Tsunoda was obliged to move up to Red Bull under the terms of his contract.

Yuki Tsunoda contractually obliged to join Red Bull

After several snubs in the past, Tsunoda will now get his chance in the senior Red Bull team after four and a bit seasons with its junior squad, Red Bull having decided enough was enough with Liam Lawson after just two rounds, with the New Zealander failing to score a point or escape Q1 in Australia and China.

Tsunoda therefore becomes the latest driver to take on the Max Verstappen challenge, one which has shown Lawson, Sergio Perez, Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly to the exit door after struggling as the Red Bull team-mate to the now reigning four-time World Champion.

And six-time grand prix winner Ralf Schumacher had advised Tsunoda’s management to say no to the Red Bull call-up.

“If I was Tsunoda’s manager, I wouldn’t recommend him to go there,” Schumacher told Sky Germany regarding Tsunoda’s Red Bull promotion.

“At the moment, Racing Bulls is the better car and Tsunoda is getting on really well with it. He can’t do himself any favours with it.”

However, Tost – who served as team boss of Red Bull’s second F1 team from 2006-2023 and spent three seasons working with Tsunoda – explained that only Red Bull has a say in which driver races where across their four F1 seats.

“Yuki has a contract with Red Bull and if Red Bull says he has to drive there, then he has to drive there,” Tost revealed on Sky Germany’s Backstage Pit Lane podcast.

“So there is no discussion.”

Tost’s comments on the nature of a Red Bull driver contract were also echoed by Marko.

Asked to confirm by Formel1.de if it is correct that Tsunoda could not have refused the promotion, as the contract allows Red Bull to freely change drivers, Marko replied: “Yes. But with Yuki, he secretly expected that it would happen.”

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Nonetheless, Tsunoda is now a Red Bull driver and Tost is backing him to rise to the challenge.

“It’s now in Yuki’s hands to make the most of this opportunity and I am convinced that he will succeed,” Tost predicted.

“Yuki is damn fast. If everything comes together, it could be a really good season for him. And if he can’t do that, then it’s a problem anyway.”

Tost called this a “huge opportunity” for Tsunoda with Red Bull, coming at a time where his F1 future was becoming increasingly precarious, with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner having suggested pre-season that F1 2025 would have been Tsunoda’s last season with their Racing Bulls team.

Honda, meanwhile, distanced itself from Tsunoda’s F1 career as they ready to swap Red Bull for Aston Martin in a new engine partnership under the revamped rules from F1 2026.

So, with his F1 future having fallen into serious doubt ahead of this Red Bull promotion, Tost concluded that Tsunoda simply “has to take a risk now”.

Tsunoda debuts for Red Bull in front of his home fans at this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.

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