Yuki Tsunoda: “I deserve this place”
Yuki Tsunoda has vowed to keep on "destroying" all his team-mates to prove to the Red Bull team that he deserves a place in Formula 1 with the main team.
While the future of Sergio Perez at Red Bull is uncertain, the company is considering the organization of staff for its main team and its subsidiary, AlphaTauri. Despite Yuki Tsunoda being the most experienced driver of the Red Bull drivers, rookie Liam Lawson seems to be the favorite for a promotion, after impressing during his full-time return to F1 at the United States Grand Prix last month.
Yuki Tsunoda, who will make his first official run with Red Bull during the end-of-season tests in Abu Dhabi, does not understand what more he needs to do to get this promotion. » I always say that I clearly deserve this seat. I can’t say anything more. It’s their decision.
He had spoken earlier in the year about not being chosen for a seat at Red Bull, he believes his best chance of convincing is to continue to perform well. “There was a moment when I started to get impatient, probably just before the summer break,” added Tsunoda, who made his F1 debut in 2021.
« But this kind of thing, I can’t control it. It’s part of life. I just have to keep doing what I’m doing. In the end, I’m still in the race. Every time they send a driver to beat me, I keep destroying them. So that’s what I’m going to keep doing. »
Can Liam Lawson compete with him?
While Liam Lawson made headlines with his performances for Red Bull, with two races in the points and tough battles on track, including with Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez, the recent weekends for the Japanese driver have been marked by incidents, such as crashes in qualifying and in the race in Mexico.
However, he refutes the idea that he is under pressure, as suggested by Helmut Marko. Frankly, it’s the usual story in this team, or in the Red Bull family.
« Yes, Mexico wasn’t ideal, but the qualifications, it was clearly my fault. It didn’t help me. But in the race, it was a different story. I had a good start, and if I could have made that choice, I would probably have been P7 after the first turn, maybe even P6.
Although he benefits from the support of Honda, Red Bull’s current engine partner, Tsunoda knows that the decision to promote him is not up to the Japanese manufacturer. « I do not know precisely the relationship between Red Bull and Honda, but Honda has supported me since I was young », he explained.
Currently, Honda and Red Bull are working together. I’m sure they are pushing on their side, but the decision lies with Red Bull, and for one reason or another, it’s not working. I don’t know. I just stopped thinking about it, because it’s pointless.
