Helmut Marko: “Yuki is a candidate for the Red Bull seat in 2025”

A departure and many consequences. After the Singapore Grand Prix, Racing Bulls decided to part ways with their driver Daniel Ricciardo due to his disappointing performances. A difficult decision to cope with emotionally given the popularity of the former Red Bull driver in the paddock, but also one that has sporting repercussions. Indeed, following this dismissal, the Faenza team has decided to find a replacement for him in the form of Liam Lawson.

Red Bull wants to observe the performances of the two Racing Bulls drivers.

The New Zealand pilot, a member of the Red Bull junior team, is already familiar with the Formula 1 world as he competed in five races last season, already in place of Ricciardo. However, this season, this transfer is not trivial, as Helmut Marko, one of the managers of the Milton Keynes team, has indicated his desire to compare the two RB drivers at the end of this season.

« We have decided to compare Lawson and Tsunoda. They have the same equipment, the same conditions, and each now has six races to prove who is the best driver. We started with the philosophy of giving young drivers a chance in Formula 1. The remaining races of this season will determine what our driver pairings will look like next year », explained the Austrian to F1-Insider. A statement that nevertheless adds pressure for both Racing Bulls drivers, but especially for Sergio Perez, whose recent performances have not met Red Bull’s expectations and who could, in case of further underperformance during the final six races, have to leave his seat in the Austrian team.

Tsunoda candidate for a seat at Red Bull in 2025

If this possibility materializes, several candidates are considered by Red Bull, including Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese driver nevertheless signed a contract extension earlier this season to continue for a fifth year with the Italian team after his debut in 2021. Tsunoda is a candidate to race alongside Max in 2025, as indicated by Helmut Marko. The Austrian has always expressed his desire to place a young driver alongside Max Verstappen. Tsunoda’s arrival at Red Bull would be a valuable addition for both the Austrian team, given the Japanese driver’s satisfactory results this season, and for Honda, Red Bull’s engine supplier, which would have the opportunity to work with a Japanese driver in 2025 before switching to Aston Martin.

Read also: Red Bull will prioritize a young driver to replace Sergio Perez

On his side, Tsunoda has revealed that he is ready to take a step up in Formula 1 and hopes to have the chance to compete against the best drivers on the grid. “If I wasn’t ready, I wouldn’t have been able to announce next season completely, at least for VCARB,” he declared in Hungary. “I have felt ready for three years to fight against the top teams, for higher positions, even against Max or anyone else.” The next six races are shaping up to be crucial for Tsunoda’s future. Strong performances could enable him to become Verstappen’s future teammate, even though Red Bull seems to want to keep Perez for another season.

Perez always supported at Red Bull

This is what the Mexican announced through a humorous post on social media where he took up an extract from the movie “The Wolf of Wall Street” to explain, in the manner of Jordan Belfort in the movie, that he will not leave the team led by Christian Horner. Furthermore, apart from Helmut Marko, no one within Red Bull’s management considers the Japanese driver as a teammate for the triple world champion Dutchman, according to information from Planet F1.

A Lawson-Tsunoda duel for the seat within the Austrian team?

However, the Austrian team has often changed course in the past and if Perez doesn’t allow Red Bull to win the world titles, then the situation could change, and the showdown between Lawson and Tsunoda at Racing Bulls could ultimately turn into a battle for the seat at Red Bull.