Last Updated on October 22 2024, 12:33 pm

Yuki Tsunoda is now in his fourth year with Red Bull Racing with his tenure now starting to look like that of a pay driver. The Japanese Formula One driver has never been seriously considered for promotion alongside Max Verstappen, despite the fact that Sergio Perez has proven a liability for much of his tenure with the senior Red Bull Racing team.

The secret to Yuki’s elongated relationship with the Red Bull family is to be found in the deal the team struck with their Japanese power unit suppliers. As Dr. Helmet Marko revealed when confirming his contract extension earlier this year: “Honda was my deal, so I will continue to look after it.”

Of course Dr. Marko is also responsible for the Red Bull junior driver programme which has seen the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen rise through the junior formula to reach Formula One. It is via this route which Yuki arrived at the Red Bull sister team under the guidance of Dr. Helmut Marko.

 

 

 

Ricciardo’s calming influence

At the turn of this season, Marko sent a warning to Tsunoda telling him to improve his driving style if he wants to progress. Yet Yuki’s big effort came this year in terms of improving his emotional control, something he credited Daniel Ricciardo with for being influential.

“For example, last couple of years, I started in a pretty bad position, especially with my emotional control. How much you can be consistent throughout the weeks, and after he [Ricciardo] became my team-mate, he is very, very strong at that and was doing much better than me,” Tsunoda told assembled media before the Austrian Grand Prix.

“For sure, those things I learnt, I got from him which affected my consistency throughout the year, especially my emotional control will affect the performance moods throughout the week. I think just for me, being able to grow race by race from his performance knowledge and everything.”

With Ricciardo now gone, Tsunoda faces a whole new challenge alongside team mate Liam Lawson who debuted with V-CARB for five races last season when Ricciardo was injured.

Norris penalty halved

 

 

 

Lawson spots the one stop strategy

With COTA having been re-paved for this years USGP weekend, the lap times tumbled this year with pole position two seconds faster than in 2023. Further, the new sections of smoother surface were also more grippy, which led to a theory prior to the race on Sunday that the tyres may last longer at this year’s running of the race in Texas.

The Grand Prix in COTA has almost always been a standard two stop race for the majority of the field, but after an absence of twelve months from the car, Liam Lawson pleaded with the team to allow him to try a one stop race. The New Zealander had taken a 60 place grid drop penalty to ensure he had sufficient reliable components to see him through to the end of the year, which of course made the one stop more attractive starting from the back of the field.

Lawson made it through to lap 36 with his team mate making his second stop the lap before. Yuki was informed over team radio that Lawson would be pitting the next lap and would come out ahead by his engineer Ernesto Desiderio

Desiderio: “Yuki, Liam is pitting now. He’s going to be right in front of us with new Medium, we will let him go.”

Tsunoda: Wait…. What the fuck!!! Tell me how this happened!?”

“He said he was going to F**k me” says driver

 

 

 

Yuki ‘red mist’ after seeing Lawson ahead

Yuki was reminded of his earlier five second time penalty awarded for running Alex Albon off track, yet the Red Bull bosses will be unimpressed by Yuki’s outburst for more than one reason.

Firstly, Yuki has proven himself a better driver when remaining calm and secondly Tsuoda’s outburst in reality called out the team’s decision making process which led to Lawson being ahead of the Japanese driver.

Both Christian Horner and Dr. Helmut Marko had impressed upon the two V-CARB drivers that they were being assessed for next season. 

“We have to look towards the future, and we want to have a comparison. Where does Lawson stand compared [to Yuki Tsunoda]?” Marko said on the announcement of the New Zealander replacing Ricciardo.

Sergio Perez F1 exit announcement

 

 

 

Honda press for RBR Tsunoda test

This week Honda have been upping the anti, calling for their driver to be given his first test in a Red Bull car following the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Speaking to Autosport last weekend, Koji Watanabe, the president of Honda’s racing arm HRC, said he was pressing hard for Tsunoda to get a Red Bull run.

“We believe he has the talent. Of course, driver decisions are ultimately up to the team, but as a partner we’ve strongly requested that Tsunoda be given the chance to drive and test in a Red Bull car,” he said.

“We want to at least give him the opportunity to showcase his ability. I’ve also spoken directly with Christian about this. He hasn’t ruled it out. Nothing has been decided yet, but I think we need to proceed properly.”

Formula One HUGE fine issued to Austin

 

 

 

Brundle sees Lawson alongside Verstappen

Lawson meanwhile played a blinder at the USGP. His drive in the Grand Prix from 19th to 9th was exceptional for a driver out of F1 for a year. Ex-F1 driver and Formula One Sky pundit, Martin Brundle was clearly impressed when he noted, “And he just passed Alonso on the last lap! Slipstream down the straight, kept it all under control, pointed his nose into the apex, hit the loud pedal and a very clean pass.

“This is exactly the kind of performance Lawson needs to put in, if he does, I can see him as Verstappen’s teammate next year at Red Bull.” Brundle concluded.

However for Yuki to have a prayer of the shot at a Red Bull drive he will need to prove the hard work he has put in alongside Daniel Ricciardo in terms of controlling his ‘road rage’ radio messages is a permanent solution to the ‘bad’ and slightly schizophrenic Yuki of old.

Verstappen “foul” on Norris “rewarded” by stewards says Ferrari legend

 

 

 

McLaren’s latest dodge over team orders

Oscar Piastri was the hottest of Formula One properties coming into the USGP, he was the driver who had scored the most points since the Spanish Grand Prix. Yet all that momentum came crashing down in Austin, Texas.

The young Aussie was out of sorts during Sprint qualifying failing to make it out of the first session. Starting the shorter version of the Grand Prix in fifteenth, Piastri did make his way through to finish on the fringes of the top ten, but with points on Saturday only being awarded down to eighth place it was not a good day for the McLaren driver.

Grand Prix qualifying would see Piastri’s fortunes improve although George Russells crash late in the session affected his and a number of others final push runs which saw Lando Norris hold on to his provisional pole. Oscar was to start the Grand Prix in fifth… READ MORE