
Discontent and doubts linger in Yuki Tsunoda’s camp: the 2000-born driver is growing restless and nudging Red Bull. The Milton Keynes team suffers in the Constructors’ Championship due to the lack of points scored by Perez. Yuki is leveraging this difficulty and pointing to political issues.
“Am I a real candidate to replace Perez at Red Bull? I don’t know. Could you ask them and find out?” This was Yuki Tsunoda’s response on Thursday in Qatar to a journalist curious about the possibility of the Japanese driver’s promotion.
Checo Perez’s results continue to lag, and Helmut Marko’s “threats” are becoming increasingly less subtle, but the situation remains unchanged. The attitude of the Milton Keynes team is frustrating for Yuki Tsunoda, eager to test himself alongside the “monster” Max Verstappen. “Even when Red Bull says in interviews that I’m among the options (to replace Sergio Perez, editor’s note), I honestly don’t know if that’s the reality or not.”
Red Bull, what more do I have to do?
The young talent from Red Bull’s driver program harbors significant hopes of joining Christian Horner’s team in 2025. “Of course, I hope to be among the drivers considered. Honestly, I don’t know what more I need to do…”
Impatient but cautious and reflective. On the eve of the Qatar GP, Yuki Tsunoda has one clear goal: “I just have to push and keep everything under control. As for the Red Bull seat situation, well, they’ll decide.”
“If I were in Perez’s place, I’d fight for higher positions.”
He then strongly reiterates his candidacy: “I’m certain. If I were in that seat now, I could fight for a better position in the Constructors’ Championship. But there are other things as well, political matters. They’ll decide what they want.”
To support his case, Yuki Tsunoda recalls some precedents: “Historically, it’s been pretty natural that if a driver from our team, for example, performs better than the Red Bull driver for a certain time, then they get promoted. It’s something natural. But perhaps something has changed, maybe the dynamics have shifted. Red Bull itself has changed since Mateschitz’s passing.”
“As for me, I can’t find many reasons why they shouldn’t seriously talk about me…” concludes a determined Yuki Tsunoda.
Leave a Reply