Threatened with a race suspension, Max Verstappen would allow Yuki Tsunoda to have a chance with Red Bull in 2025

Max Verstappen is known for his aggressiveness on track, and in 2024, it cost him dearly. He starts this 2025 season with eight penalty points on his FIA license, knowing that at 12 points, the sanction falls: a one-race suspension. Last year, Kevin Magnussen experienced this consequence. Penalty points are valid for 12 months. It will be necessary to wait until July to give the Dutch driver some relief.

F1 analyst Sam Collins warns: Max Verstappen, due to on-track incidents last year, is just on the verge of a race ban due to the driver’s penalty points. The world champion will have to play it safe until June 30, when some of his points will be wiped out. But until then, if he accumulates four more points, he will be forced to miss a Grand Prix.

Yuki Tsunoda in ambush

If Verstappen were to be suspended, who would replace him at Red Bull? Sam Collins has a clear answer: Yuki Tsunoda is the obvious choice to be promoted to this race seat. The Japanese driver, loyal to the Red Bull lineage since his F1 debut, seems to be the logical replacement. His experience, speed, and loyalty to Honda make him a strategic option for the Austrian team. Especially since a possible suspension of Verstappen would occur around the third race of the season… which takes place in Suzuka.

« Even for just one race, putting Yuki Tsunoda in the Red Bull could be interesting if Max was a bit mean during the second race, because where would Yuki Tsunoda then be in the Red Bull? Around Suzuka. The home circuit of Honda. » A scenario that would have a special flavor for the Japanese driver, in a decisive year for his future.

2025 is a crucial year for Tsunoda. The Japanese driver approaches this season with a sword of Damocles hanging over his head. Christian Horner has already announced that 2025 will be his last year with VCARB (formerly AlphaTauri), but without specifying what’s next. He must prove that he deserves either a promotion or a seat elsewhere in F1.

A season under high tension for Tsunoda

The arrival of Isack Hadjar as a teammate doesn’t simplify things. Tsunoda must fight for his place. After dominating Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson last year, it wasn’t enough to secure him a spot at Red Bull. He knows that this season, he needs to make a big impact. However, he remains realistic about the potential of his car: “I don’t think we will have performances as competitive as those in the first half of last season,” he confides.

« I think it will be a bit more difficult to fight against the top 10, » admits Tsunoda. « To score points, it will be very, very close. » If he struggles to shine with VCARB, a stint with Red Bull could change his destiny. If Verstappen slips up one too many times, Tsunoda might finally get his chance and prove that he deserves much more than just a second driver role.