Yuki Tsunoda is back in Red Bull, with his new role for the 2025 F1 season now defined. Until a few weeks ago, the Japanese driver was in contention for a full-time seat at Milton Keynes. In the end, his experience was overlooked in favor of Liam Lawson’s “composure,” possibly deemed better suited to handle the psychological challenge of facing Max Verstappen.
Among the major shake-ups of the upcoming season, the reshuffling of the starting grid stands out. The biggest headline was undoubtedly Lewis Hamilton’s move: the seven-time world champion is now a true Ferrari driver, complete with official photos and his first on-track tests. His transfer led to Carlos Sainz’s departure to Williams and Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s arrival at Mercedes.
The revolution also impacted both Red Bull-managed teams. Sergio Perez left despite signing a contract extension at the beginning of 2024. After the unexpected dismissal of Daniel Ricciardo, the real battle for his seat was between Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson. The New Zealander won the spot, vacating his Racing Bulls seat for rookie Isack Hadjar.
Yuki Tsunoda will be Red Bull’s official reserve
Despite the initial disappointment, Tsunoda quickly regained focus. His goal is clear: to prove that Christian Horner made a mistake by not giving him the opportunity he had earned over time. In the meantime, however, Red Bull has promoted him to official reserve, according to reports from *RacingNews365*. This means that if either Max Verstappen or Liam Lawson were to get injured or suspended, Tsunoda would step in to drive the RB21.
In fact, given the FIA’s increasingly strict regulations regarding driver conduct, thoughts naturally turn to the Dutchman. How long will he manage to comply with the International Federation’s directives? We can only wait and see.
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