Racing Bulls Team Principal Laurent Mekies is ready to see “another step” from Yuki Tsunoda during the 2025 Formula 1 campaign.
Tsunoda matured as a driver in 2024 and had arguably his strongest season to date, thwarting the challenge presented by two team-mates: Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson.
Despite this, Lawson was the one given the nod by Red Bull to replace Sergio Perez alongside Max Verstappen in 2025, resigning Tsunoda to a fifth season with the Faenza-based Racing Bulls squad.
Tsunoda has taken the decision in his stride, telling select media including Motorsport Week ahead of F1 75 that remaining with Racing Bulls offers the opportunity for “things that I’ve never probably experienced, more like leadership, I guess, is the things that I have to also, at some point, develop myself more.”
Mekies was impressed by what Tsunoda achieved in 2024 and holds the Japanese driver in high regard amid labelling him as the Racing Bulls team leader heading into the new campaign.
“I’m super excited about our driver line-up,” Mekies said.
“Yuki made a very big step forward last year. He really surprised us with the progress he made in terms of raw speed as well as his technical qualities.
“Last season, it’s fair to say he joined the ranks of the very good drivers.
“Now we can ask the question, is there another step to come from him? We believe there is.
“It is our job to create the right environment to make that next step possible and we must also give him the right tools for the job.
“Yuki was an integral part of all the changes that we initiated last year and now, he will be our reference point in terms of speed and what the car is doing, as he has four years’ experience in F1 and with this team.
“With Isack [Hadjar] embarking on his rookie season, Yuki will be very much the team leader, and he is a vital component of our plans for the coming season.”
Tsunoda feels there’s more to come from him in 2025
Tsunoda is leaning into the mantle he’s attained at Racing Bulls and is adamant he can take that further step that Mekies and the rest of the team expect.
“At the very least, I expect to start this season where I ended the last one,” he said.
“By the end of last year, I had a stronger mindset and had more control than at the
beginning of the season.
“After that, I want to be even more focused and work on improving the small margins.
“That can make the difference and allow us to continue fighting in the top 10, in what I expect to be an even tighter contest this year.
“I’ll take it step by step, but I’m feeling confident.”
READ MORE – Racing Bulls: Yuki Tsunoda landing Red Bull F1 seat ‘should be our target’
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