When they parted ways with Sergio Perez, Red Bull overlooked Yuki Tsunoda when choosing their lineup for the 2025 season.
An exit for the Mexican was always on the cards following a disappointing campaign, in which he scored only 30% of their 589 points for the year.
Much of Perez’s season was characterized by the same errors he made in 2023 during qualifying, in which he almost always started outside the top ten and was facing a comeback drive on Sunday.
By comparison, Max Verstappen finished regularly inside the top six and took nine race wins, which was more than any other driver in the third-best car of the year. Talk turned to who would replace Perez and while he beat both Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson at Racing Bulls, the team decided against Tsunoda.
The Japanese driver made the most logical sense given he has 76 more starts compared to Lawson, but Christian Horner ultimately decided against Tsunoda due to his tendency to be a hothead behind the wheel.
Tsunoda has claimed that he would like to have one chance up against Verstappen and believes he could do a much better job than Perez when speaking to RacingNews365.nl.
Yuki Tsunoda claims he could do better than Red Bull thinks against Max Verstappen
Helmut Marko claimed Tsunoda lacks the mental strength to go up against Verstappen in the same team, but the Japanese driver is adamant that he could measure up well against the four-time world champion.
“One chance, even if it’s only one race, I’d still cherish that. One session [with Red Bull], with him [Verstappen]. I would take it with both hands,” said Tsunoda.
“I dare say that too, because I have that self-confidence now. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a fast driver, of course. This year he has impressed many people, including me. But I can fight him.
“I think I can do better than Red Bull thinks. So even if I only get one chance, I could prove what I can do. I would definitely do better than Checo. I could help them with the constructors’ championship.”
Liam Lawson faces a massive challenge against Max Verstappen
With just 11 race starts under his belt, Lawson is set to take on one of the hardest challenges in F1: being Verstappen’s teammate.
Only Daniel Ricciardo has beat Verstappen in his first two years at Red Bull, but with nine seasons of experience, the Dutchman is a much different driver compared to when he started out.
READ MORE: Who is Red Bull Racing F1 driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know
Lawson has demonstrated that he has the mental capacity to go up against Verstappen, but the main question is whether he can cope with driving a car tailored to his driving style.
This was often an area where previous teammates of Verstappen faltered including Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly, despite showing they are capable drivers elsewhere on the grid.
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