RB driver Yuki Tsunoda suspects that unknown “background” aspects have been behind his extended wait to be given a debut appearance in a Red Bull Formula 1 car.
Tsunoda has competed with Red Bull’s sister side since 2021, but his opportunities with the senior team so far have extended to a demo run in the 2012 RB8 in Taiwan.
Red Bull continuing to overlook him has continued despite Sergio Perez’s torrid return contributing to the team squandering the lead in the Constructors’ Championship.
However, Tsunoda appears poised to be granted a chance to sample a modern Red Bull car as Horner has stated it will occur at the post-season tyre test in Abu Dhabi.
READ MORE – Yuki Tsunoda has ‘asked multiple times’ about Red Bull F1 test
The Japanese driver revealed that his previous requests had been turned down, leading him to believe that external factors had denied an earlier Red Bull maiden test.
Asked whether he was surprised that it has taken this long to even be considered for a Red Bull run, Tsunoda told media including Motorsport Week: “Yeah.
“If you ask that, in second year, third year, I would be very surprised, but it’s up and down, you kind of get used to it.
“I know how difficult to get even a single day testing, who are performing more than the team-mates in previous years.
“Things that, probably things that I didn’t know, something going on in the background that I didn’t know.
“Or, for sure, at the same time, there’s probably room that I’m not able to improve as much as they wanted at the level, especially probably radio communications.”
Tsunoda unfazed by Red Bull shootout
Marko suggested that Tsunoda will be in the running to move up to Red Bull alongside RB team-mate Liam Lawson when it decides whether to retain Perez into 2025.
Tsunoda, though, denied that the increased attention on his results would be a burden amid his view that he has been involved in a shootout since the season started.
“From [the] first race this year already onwards, it’s kind of been a shootout between me and Daniel [Ricciardo],” Tsunoda expressed in the United States last weekend.
“Who is going to be ahead all the time, the next year’s contract, or everything, [all] that stuff. For me, it’s part of the whole season.”
READ MORE – Yuki Tsunoda learned more from Daniel Ricciardo than any other F1 team-mate
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