Overlooking Yuki Tsunoda for the Red Bull race seat, Guenther Steiner cannot see why Red Bull still “keep him around” at what’s supposed to be a junior team.

After months of speculation about Sergio Perez’s future that culminated in a run to the line that included a mere nine points in eight race weekends, Perez and Red Bull announced mid-December that they’d parted ways with immediate effect.

Should Red Bull have given Yuki Tsunoda a season at the senior team?

A day later the team confirmed that it would be Liam Lawson who would replace the Mexican driver, and not long-time junior Tsunoda.

Team principal Christian Horner explained the reasoning to ESPN, saying that while it was “very, very tight between the two of them”, Lawson’s race pace was “slightly better”.

“You’ve got to assume,” he added, “that the potential with Liam having only done 11 Grands Prix, is he’s only going to get better and stronger.”

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It was, however, Tsunoda who won the head-to-head battle against Lawson as he scored eight points during their six races as team-mates late last season with Lawson bringing in four points.

Tsunoda also finished ahead of the New Zealander in four of the five races in which both drivers saw the chequered flag.

As such Red Bull’s decision to choose Lawson over Tsunoda baffled former Haas F1 team boss Steiner, who feels the team should’ve given Tsunoda the opportunity.

“I don’t think that was the perfect choice,” the Italian told GPblog. “Everything was a compromise. It’s one of the choices.

“I’m in the opinion maybe to know that [now speaking about Yuki] should have been given the chance. I don’t say deserved because you don’t deserve anything, I always say.

“But would have been a better bet, say we put him in the car one year, and see how he’s doing. If he’s not good, let him go. Now he’s sitting another year in the Racing Bull, and it’s not motivational for the guy as well.”

And therein lies another decision that Steiner cannot understand. If Red Bull don’t believe in Tsunoda’s ability then why even keep him in the junior team?

“He’s doing more of the same, but he’s not exposed to do, to make the step,” he said. “It’s like he’s not given the opportunity, so why keep him around? I don’t know.

“His fifth year in the junior team, right? Is it a junior team, or what is it?”

As it stands, the F1 2025 championship will most likely be Tsunoda’s last with Red Bull’s junior team as Horner concedes it’s a situation that cannot continue as it is.

“We’re acutely aware that if we’re not able to provide an opportunity for Yuki – being, in all honesty, this year [2025] – does it make sense [to keep him]?” Horner said.

“You can’t have a driver in the support team for five years. You can’t always be the bridesmaid. You’ve either got to let them go at that point or look at something different.”

Tsunoda, though, is not giving up on taking the Red Bull seat from Lawson.

“[In 2024], even though I was performing well, I feel like didn’t I get really get credit as much as probably other drivers get, but it is what it is,” he told Motorsport.com. “I just naturally, just keep what I’m doing and performing well and just prove them wrong.

“I just try to give them fewer excuses or reasons why I am not in the seat. So, I just focus on what I can control those things other than that, just accept the situation. I’m sure I can do a better job than what they are thinking.”

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