Now that the 2024 Formula 1 season is over, all eyes have turned to the next big on-track outing: The post-season Abu Dhabi test. For the first time, Yuki Tsunoda has earned a chance behind the wheel of a Red Bull machine.

Despite the turmoil within Red Bull regarding potential driver changes, Tsunoda’s name has been largely left out of the conversation. He hopes his post-season test will prove he’s deserving of a top-tier race seat.

“It’s pretty clear what I’ve done this year,” says confident Yuki Tsunoda

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

No driver is safe in the Red Bull program, and 2024 has made that clearer than ever. The top-level Red Bull Racing team finished third in the World Constructors’ Championship despite Max Verstappen’s dominant pursuit of the drivers’ title, throwing Sergio Perez’s future into doubt.

Over at VCARB, Red Bull’s sister team, Daniel Ricciardo was fired after Singapore for a lack of performance. Liam Lawson was signed on to join Yuki Tsunoda, with the New Zealander pinpointed as a potential replacement for Perez.

But what of Yuki Tsunoda?

In all the conversations about Red Bull Racing’s future, Yuki Tsunoda’s name has been conspicuously absent.

This season represented Tsunoda’s fourth as a member of Red Bull’s junior team, and his second year as its point of stability. Last year, the Japanese driver raced alongside Nyck de Vries, Daniel Ricciardo, and Liam Lawson, as AlphaTauri hunted for a strong second driver. This season, Tsunoda has remained, even as Ricciardo was scrapped in favor of Lawson.

Despite that, Tsunoda’s name has rarely entered the conversation about promotion, much to his chagrin. It took the sway of his connections at Honda to earn him this upcoming post-season test behind the wheel of an RB20 — a test that Tsunoda believes will underscore his value and growth.

In Abu Dhabi, Tsunoda told media, including PlanetF1.com, that he was “looking forward” to the test after a challenging final race of 2024, and that he hopes he can “give them feedback that they can benefit from — something for the future, for developments.

“Fully focused for that.”

More from Red Bull’s driver program:

👉 Red Bull junior team: The 12 drivers looking to rise through the ranks to F1

👉 What happened next? The nine Red Bull drivers who didn’t land the top seat

Tsunoda confirmed that he has yet to receive a run plan from Red Bull, but that he feels he can “do other things that maybe I can impress them” even if he isn’t handed a performance-based plan.

He’s confident that a strong 2024 season can be capped off with a strong test — and that it will hopefully improve his standing within the organization.

“As I always said throughout the season, I made a pretty good statement and it started first Bahrain,” he said.

“I made a consistency in terms of how I was able to extract the performance from the car every race compared to my teammates.

“So yeah, obviously some tests will be for sure, some maybe details I can give extra on top of what they’re thinking, but it’s up to them in the end what they decide. But it’s pretty clear what I’ve done this year.”

He noted that his weaknesses — his temper, and his harsh radio messages — will be “hard to see” in a testing scenario. However, he also pointed out that he’s worked hard to improve in that regard.

“Please go through [my radio the the] last 24 races, how many times I shouted — maybe first race,” Tsunoda said of his behavior.

“I don’t think there’s much room that they can complain about. I have that much confidence.

“I mean, look up other drivers. I definitely made myself calm more than others and focused [on] what I can do.”

Though he pointed out that he’s not perfect yet, Tsunoda feels he’s “on my way, and I can prove it.

“Even compared to 2024, the first race, I still feel I was a kid.

“How I ended up in the last race, in Abu Dhabi right now, it’s a completely different mindset. The approach into the track is completely different.

“If you talk about pressure, the amount of pressure I had every single race throughout the season — I was feeling always on the edge of the cliff.

But actually, that situation made me strong. It’s not obviously the most enjoyable times, but at the same time, I improved more than any drivers, and I can say that pretty loudly.”

Tsunoda will test the RB20 in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

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