The winter break leading up to the 2025 Formula 1 season is only just getting started for Yuki Tsunoda, but it’s already been an eventful few weeks.
The 2024 campaign ended with plenty of question marks over who would be lining up alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull this year.
Sergio Perez’s position had become untenable and it appeared to be a straight shootout between Racing Bulls’ two drivers to see who would replace him.
Yuki Tsunoda not only had experience on his side but results too.
| Category | Yuki Tsunoda | Liam Lawson |
| 2024 points | 8 | 4 |
| Grand Prix results | 4 | 2 |
| Grand Prix qualifying | 6 | 0 |
| Grand Prix wins | 0 | 0 |
| Grand Prix poles | 0 | 0 |
| Grand Prix podiums | 0 | 0 |
| Best finish | 7th | 9th |
| Retirements | 1 | 0 |
| Retirements (classified finish) | 0 | 1 |
| Fastest laps | 0 | 0 |
| Grand Prix points finishes | 2 | 2 |
| Sprint results | 0 | 3 |
| Sprint Qualifying | 0 | 3 |
| Sprint wins | 0 | 0 |
| Sprint poles | 0 | 0 |
| Sprint podiums | 0 | 0 |
He had outperformed Nyck de Vries, Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson over the past two seasons.
However, when Perez’s Red Bull exit was confirmed, it was Lawson who was given the nod less than 24 hours later.
This leaves Tsunoda in a treacherous position when it comes to his long-term Formula 1 future.
He’ll enter his fifth season in Red Bull’s junior team this year, partnered by F2 runner-up Isack Hadjar.
Tsunoda has been overlooked on too many occasions to feel that a Red Bull promotion will ever be on the cards and with Honda’s power unit deal coming to an end this year, his biggest backer is moving on too.
In an interview with Motorsport, Tsunoda outlined the error he made during his first F1 season that may still be hampering him to this day.
Yuki Tsunoda laments the ‘image’ he’s created of himself in Formula 1
Tsunoda was speaking about why he has a reputation that he does within F1 and said: “I think that part of it is kind of my fault because I wasn’t really able to perform straight away in the first year.
“It creates a bit of [an] image of who I am.
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”[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. 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.”
Christian Horner unable to back Yuki Tsunoda after missing out on Red Bull promotion
There are only a handful of people Tsunoda needs to impress within the Red Bull hierarchy to progress.
Team principal Christian Horner and chief advisor Helmut Marko have the final say on his future and after 90 race weekends, they’re happy enough for him to be part of the Red Bull family without ever giving him his chance alongside Verstappen.
Marko and Horner disagree on Tsunoda, with the veteran Austrian keen to back one of the proteges he’s nurtured through their junior program.
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Horner privately has concerns about Tsunoda and questioned his future within the Red Bull program beyond this year after opting to promote Lawson.
In the Japanese driver’s first season, Horner infamously said that his drivers ‘got Tsunoda’d’ after he ran off the track during his debut season at the Mexico City Grand Prix, ruining both Verstappen and Perez’s laps by bringing out yellow flags.
While it would be very harsh for Horner to hold that against the 24-year-old today, he feels that his actions during that maiden campaign are still being held against him.
Tsunoda’s radio outbursts are legendary, but he believes he’s improved significantly in that department, only time will tell if he’ll keep his cool against the equally explosive Hadjar.
