Yuki Tsunoda has acknowledged that his first year in Formula 1 created “an image problem” for him after bring rebuffed by Red Bull in favour of Liam Lawson.
The Japanese driver was touted to be under consideration to take the vacancy at the Milton Keynes outfit left by the outgoing Sergio Perez, but the drive ultimately went to his Racing Bulls team-mate Liam Lawson.
Tsunoda has been with the team, then known as AlphaTauri, for four seasons and many fans have questioned why he has yet to be given an opportunity with the full Red Bull squad, particularly when he out-finished Lawson four times to two in the six races the Kiwi raced alongside him after taking the place of Daniel Ricciardo.
Speaking to motorsport.com, Tsunoda said that his debut season perhaps set the tone for what has been a continuation of being overlooked by the corporation’s bigger brother.
“I think that part of it is kind of my fault because I wasn’t really able to perform straight away in the first year,” he said. “It creates a bit of an image of who I am.
“[In 2024], even though I was performing well, I feel like didn’t I get really get credit as much as probably other drivers get, but it is what it is. I just naturally, just keep what I’m doing and performing well and just prove them wrong.
“I just try to give them fewer excuses or reasons why I am not in the seat. So, I just focus on what I can control those things other than that, just accept the situation. I’m sure I can do a better job than what they are thinking.”
After the departure of former team-mate Pierre Gasly to Alpine, Tsunoda has been omnipresent within the Faenza-based team, outscoring Nyck de Vries and Ricciardo, both of whom were ousted mid-season in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
2025 will see the 24-year-old partnered by a fresh face in Frenchman Isack Hadjar, a fellow product of the Red Bull Young Driver programme who narrowly missed-out on the Formula 2 title in 2024.
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