So it has happened: Yuki Tsunoda is finally able to take a seat in the Red Bull after a long wait – Christian Horner confirms that the Japanese driver will have a chance to test in Abu Dhabi at the end of the year.
Yuki Tsunoda and engine partner Honda have fought for this for a long time, and now the Japanese driver is finally getting his chance to race for Red Bull: the 24-year-old will be allowed to climb into the current RB20 for the test drives following the season finale in Abu Dhabi – this has been confirmed by Red Bull team principal Christian Horner on the sidelines of the Mexican Grand Prix.
Tsunoda is already in his fourth season driving for Red Bull’s junior team, Racing Bulls, formerly AlphaTauri. The Japanese driver has been able to drive a Red Bull in promotional demo drives or at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, but so far he has waited in vain for a real test chance in the main team’s car, much to the displeasure of engine partner Honda.
Only recently, in an interview with Autosport, Honda’s motorsport president Koji Watanabe had increased the pressure on the Red Bull management to finally give Tsunoda a chance to prove himself in one of their cars – apparently with success…
Or not? According to Horner, the decision to give him a chance to test has been agreed “for some time”. “Yuki is a member of the junior team and it is something we have discussed with Honda,” explains the Briton: “He will test the car in the tire test after the season is over, and we have agreed on that for some time.”
Horner is pleased for Tsunoda: “It will be good to give him the run and the chance to work with the Red Bull engineers and see how he fares in a Red Bull car.” For Tsunoda, the long-awaited test opportunity could come at just the right time, as his new teammate Liam Lawson is now preparing to outshine the Japanese driver in the fight for the Red Bull cockpit of Sergio Perez.
Horner on Perez: “Currently our driver for 2025”
Meanwhile, Horner does not want to fuel the rumors about a potential replacement for the Mexican, which continue unabated on the sidelines of his home race: “As already mentioned, Checo has a contract for next year, so he is currently our driver for 2025,” Horner backs his protégé.
Nevertheless, Horner admits that Lawson’s place for 2025 is not yet contractually fixed: “Of course there is an open seat at VCARB (Visa Cash App Racing Bulls), but they are all Red Bull drivers who are on loan there. We have the advantage of time to sit down with Laurent (Meckies; team manager) and Peter (Bayer; CEO) and weigh up all the options.”
Translated, this means that the last word has not yet been spoken by Red Bull on the question of drivers for the cockpit allocation.