Red Bull remains the only team yet to confirm the driver lineups for its main team and sister outfit, Racing Bulls, for 2025. However, the wait may now be over, thanks to Koji Watanabe, head of Honda Racing Corporation. As reported by *RacingNews365*, Watanabe revealed during a press conference that the Milton Keynes leadership has finally made a decision. Here are his comments.
Koji Watanabe’s Statement
Sergio Pérez is reportedly on the verge of leaving the Austrian team, and Yuki Tsunoda will take his place. The Japanese driver recently got behind the wheel of a Red Bull F1 car during post-season testing at the Yas Marina Circuit, delivering a solid performance. The Tsunoda-Red Bull test was arranged at Honda’s insistence, as they strongly backed him, while Red Bull management leans more toward promoting New Zealander Liam Lawson.
During Honda’s press conference, Watanabe said: “I returned to Japan from Abu Dhabi yesterday after having several discussions with Christian Horner on Saturday about the drivers for next season. As I always say, the team has the right to decide on the drivers, so our opinion is merely a reference. However, from HRC’s perspective, we believe Yuki Tsunoda has the skills to be promoted to Red Bull and should be considered as one of the candidates.”
“What we can do is give him the opportunity to showcase his abilities to the world, so I requested that he take part in this test, and we made it happen. I met with him just before the session, and he told me, ‘I want to perform well. I want to have fun.’”
Koji Watanabe concluded: “The feedback confirmed he did well. After that, I don’t know what will happen, so we’ll have to wait and see the results. But if it goes well, it will be fantastic. Either way, even if he doesn’t drive for Red Bull, he’s already signed with Racing Bulls for next season, so I expect him to perform well regardless of the team he races for.”
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