A Tsunoda RedBull Seat Snub Would be Nothing Short of Unprecedented
Ever since Tsunoda joined F1 in 2021 with Red bull’s junior team ‘Alpha Tauri’ (now named Visa Cash App Racing Bulls), he has been seen as a loose cannon whose inconsistent and all or nothing style of driving makes it difficult for a championship contending constructor to take a chance on him. More of the same seemed to be true in 2024’s opening Bahrain race where Tsunoda dangerously challenged teammate Daniel Ricciardo after the checkered flag had been waived. After this incident though, Tsunoda has kept a relatively clean on-track record and even holds 22 championship points to Ricciardo’s 11 heading into Belgium. Still, the Japanese native can’t seem to shake the notion of him being the reckless driver and teammate that he once was. It is because of this that Red Bull Racing brass seem to think that Tsunoda is inferior to a safer or younger option like Daniel Ricciardo or Liam Lawson.
Still, it is unbelievably surprising that a driver who has put together a quality season when directly compared to his recent seasons and his peers in similar machinery. Sergio Perez received a two-year extension at Red Bull Racing because he was seen as a “safe” option to pair with Verstappen. Yet in the World Destructors Championship (cumulative amount of damages done to the car in a single season $ amount) he has cost Red Bull $3,636,000 to Tsunoda’s $917,000. Along with this, Tsunoda has reached Q3 in qualifying eight times thus far into the season while Perez has only made it seven times in the same period. This is all with Tsunoda being in a car with much slower pace, and a team that refuses to fully back him.
Yuki Tsunoda has proved his ability to outperform a talented driver like Ricciardo, he has shown that he can be more consistent and level headed than Perez, and has more experience in the sport than VCARB reserve driver Liam Lawson. If Sergio Perez is bought out and kicked out the door by Red Bull during the summer break, it would be foolish and noncompetitive to overlook Yuki Tsunoda for the seat next to Verstappen.
