Yuki Tsunoda reckons the last two races with RB in the 2024 season are “more important” to his chances of landing a Red Bull Formula 1 seat than his upcoming test.
Sergio Perez’s recurring woes have heightened reports that he could lose his drive at Red Bull, with a decision on his position set to be taken once the campaign ends.
But while he’s emerged as the standout driver at Red Bull’s sister squad, RB, this season, Tsunoda has continued to be overlooked in the conversation for a promotion.
Daniel Ricciardo was regarded as Red Bull’s previous insurance choice until he lost his spot to Liam Lawson, who has also been tipped as a more probable candidate.
Tsunoda, who has expressed his frustration at the situation on multiple occasions, has admitted that he has no idea whether Red Bull is considering him as an option.
Asked whether he thinks he is in the mix, Tsunoda told media including Motorsport Week: “I don’t know. Please, could you interview them and find out? Like, through this? I don’t know.
“Even if they say in the interview, even if they say, ‘oh, Yuki is in the mix’, I don’t know if that’s true or not, to be honest.
“I hope it’s in that mix and if not, I don’t know what should I do to be honest.
“But I’ll just keep pushing and the things I can control and those things, the Red Bull seat, they decide it.
“Yeah, I’m sure if I [will] be in the seat, I can definitely fight for higher Constructors’ Championship and what they want. But other things, politics things. They decide.”
Tsunoda has pondered whether Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz’s death in 2022 has had an impact on the reluctance to grant him a chance with the parent team.
“Historically looking back, it’s pretty natural that the driver in our team, one of the drivers outperforms the other driver consistently the last few years, gets promoted,” he explained.
“It’s kind of a natural thing, I guess.
“I don’t know, maybe something changed. Like dynamics changed maybe after Red Bull itself changed after Mr. Mateschitz passed away. I don’t know.
“Still, one of the drivers won the Drivers’ Championship, and the team had success since quite a long time. So what they’re doing is, I guess, it’s not a bad thing.
“But it doesn’t really make sense for me I didn’t really [get] in the mix much so far. So I don’t know much for myself, at least.
“I can’t find much reason that they’re not pretty so far talking about me [being promoted] happening. But let’s see.”
Pressed on whether it was frustrating that 22 races haven’t been enough for him to negotiate over the Red Bull seat, Tsunoda replied: “To me, I got used to it.
“It’s just throughout the year. I thought what I’ve told especially since Daniel, one of the other goes really well I thought it was going to Red Bull or whatever.
“That already happened and probably since last year as well. The more I got used to it and unfortunately it’s the situation or I guess dynamics how Red Bull works I guess.
“Maybe they’re facing difficult things, different things that probably I don’t know or we don’t know in the background.
“But I’m sure the situation or maybe I’m just going to force themself with my results or my performance that ‘maybe we really need Yuki to be in our seats’ otherwise things will change.
“I just gotta force it [with] my performance.”
Tsunoda’s Red Bull test
Tsunoda will get his maiden opening to drive a modern Red Bull car when he samples the reigning champion’s RB20 at the post-season test in Abu Dhabi next month.
However, the Japanese driver suspects that helping RB in its battle to come sixth in the Constructors’ Championship will have a greater bearing on his Red Bull hopes.
“Now, what I can imagine test is just a test.
“I mean, throughout the years so far, how they’re seeing me, how they see me from the Red Bull, I feel like just test is just a test.
“It’s more definitely important for next two races rather than [the] test.
“Hopefully [the] test will maybe add a bit more, I guess, better impression or better picture of exactly who I am as a driver.
“But I think the next two races are a bit more important to be in that mix, talking about those things.”
Red Bull car suits Tsunoda’s driving
Meanwhile, Tsunoda revealed that he senses Red Bull’s 2024 machine will suit his natural driving tendencies based on the preparation work he’s done in the simulator.
“I’ve done sim [work] with them,” he divulged. “It’s a pretty fast car. I just drove so far in our car.
“But in the simulator at least, it just feels different and just feels great to drive.
“You know, like, the amount of speed you can carry into the corner and it’s quite sharp, sharp turning compared to our car, but it just feels great.
“But when I was driving, I feel it was a bit of an enjoyable feeling when I was driving.
“I don’t think, at least for so far what I experienced in the simulator, is the car that won’t suit me. I think actually the car suits me well, so yeah, it’s pretty good.”
READ MORE – Yuki Tsunoda: Red Bull F1 continued omission ‘the usual story’
