Honda has revealed that it has held discussions with Red Bull about the team’s 2025 Formula 1 line-up, as it believes Yuki Tsunoda “should be one of the candidates”.
Red Bull is expected to have a revised driver pairing next season as rumours suggest the group is poised to announce the struggling Sergio Perez will not be retained.
In the circumstance where Perez is dropped, Liam Lawson has been recognised as the leading contender to be handed the coveted spot over RB team-mate Tsunoda.
Red Bull is thought to remain sceptical about whether Tsunoda has the desired consistency and temperament to thrive alongside reigning champion Max Verstappen.
However, Tsunoda hasn’t given up hope that he could earn a long-awaited step up as he made his debut in a modern Red Bull car in the post-season test in Abu Dhabi.
Having instigated that maiden outing in the RB20, Honda has divulged that it also has been pressing Red Bull in its bid to boost Tsunoda’s chances of replacing Perez.
“We were able to achieve the test participation that we had asked for,” Honda Racing Corporation President Koji Watanabe said via as-web.jp.
“I have heard that he is also very satisfied.
“I returned to Japan from Abu Dhabi yesterday and on Saturday I had a number of discussions with [Red Bull boss] Christian Horner about drivers for the next season and beyond.
“As I always say, the teams have the right to decide on drivers, so we are only giving our opinion as a reference.
“But from HRC’s point of view, we believe that [Tsunoda] is fully capable of being promoted to Red Bull and should be one of the candidates.
“What we can do is to provide him with an opportunity to show the world what he is capable of, and I have asked him to take part in this test, and yesterday we were able to achieve this.
“After that I don’t know, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens, but it would be nice if it works out.
“In any case, he’s set to drive for RB next season, so I hope he does well next season, no matter which team he drives for.”
Tsunoda’s progression has merited Red Bull chance
Meanwhile, HRC Executive Advisor Takuma Sato is convinced Tsunoda would merit the chance at Red Bull based on his continuous progression across his time in F1.
“The team’s first F1 race was in Bahrain in 2021, where he made his F1 debut, and he showed speed that blew everyone away,” Sato, who made 90 starts in F1, said.
“I think that [his] development as a driver has been on the up and up over the past four years.
“I saw him for the first time in a long time at Imola [the test held in August] and he was very relaxed, so I think he has become a really good driver.
“I think he has grown a lot with age and experience, including race management and race craft, as well as his speed and his self-control to manage himself well.”
“As I said, my expectation is for him to drive for Red Bull, but I think the rest is [a] team matter.
“His driving style and the sharp front end of the Red Bull car suited him, so I think he had a very good test. Now all we can really do is pray.”
Tsunoda pleased with Red Bull test run
Tsunoda expressed that he adapted to Red Bull’s 2024 machine without a hitch, with Watanabe validating that the Honda-backed driver was pleased with his showing.
“I only met with Tsunoda before the test, but he said, ’I want to get a good result. I’m going to enjoy it’,” he added.
“He said these two things, and after that, I only have the reports from the HRC site, but he has analysed the differences between the RB car and the Red Bull car very clearly.
“[He has] given very useful advice and comments to the team about them. I can confirm from the report that he himself is very happy with the results.”
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