Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner has some big decisions to make this year when it comes to his driver line-up.
Sergio Perez is in possession of arguably the best seat in Formula 1 alongside Max Verstappen, but might not be for much longer.
There are plenty of candidates lining up to take his spot, but writing for The Race, journalist Edd Straw has explained why one driver isn’t under consideration.
The 34-year-old performed admirably in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, making the most of being in the fastest car on the grid by finishing runner-up to Verstappen.
However, when the Dutchman failed to finish the Australian Grand Prix, questions began to be asked of the Mexican when he came home in fifth.
Both Ferrari and McLaren cars comfortably finished ahead of him and one of that quartet is gunning for his seat.
However, another impressive performer that day was Yuki Tsunoda, but a fundamental flaw in his driving style means he won’t be on Red Bull’s shortlist.
The 23-year-old has 67 career points to his name and has already added six to his tally this year.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t appear to be enough to earn him a place on Horner’s shortlist.
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‘Fundamental’ flaw preventing Yuki Tsunoda from taking Red Bull seat
The gulf between the top five teams and the rest of the grid has created an interesting dynamic this season.
All of a sudden, 10 drivers are hoping to be the best of the rest and then relying on a retirement ahead of them to score a point.
As Lance Stroll showed in Bahrain, even after being spun by Nico Hulkenberg going into the opening corner, he still recovered to finish tenth.
However, his shunt in Saudi Arabia created an opportunity and it was the German who took thanks to some great teamwork from Kevin Magnussen.
In Australia, it was Yuki Tsunoda who benefitted from both Mercedes drivers and Max Verstappen failing to finish.
His six points has helped Visa Cash App RB jump to sixth in the Constructors’ Championship heading to his home race.
However, a fundamental issue with Tsunoda’s race craft means he’s not being considered by Red Bull going forward.
Given he’s now in his fourth season with the team, questions will begin to arise over what his next step is.
Yuki Tsunoda still has work to do after strong start to 2024
Speaking about the 23-year-old, Straw said: “The trouble is, Tsunoda has been working on his emotional control in the cockpit since the start of his F1 career in 2021 and the improvement has been too slow.
“This is the fundamental flaw that means Red Bull won’t look to him.
“And even this season, you could argue that his unflustered drive in an uncomplicated race in Australia, even one in which he said “it wasn’t easy because a couple of teams picked up the pace”, doesn’t answer any questions about his ability to deliver in high-stress on-track situations.”
This fundamental flaw from Tsunoda was on full show in Bahrain when his fellow Red Bull hopeful Daniel Ricciardo was allowed through by RB towards the end of the race.
While he had been quicker that day, a change in strategy meant he had to yield to his more experienced teammate.
He made his feelings clear over the radio and then by nearing colliding with Ricciardo after the chequered flag.
Tsunoda has plenty of time to resolve this issue and prove that he’s maturing as a driver.
Whether he can ever do enough to show Red Bull he’s worthy of being given a chance is another matter.
The post ‘The trouble is’: 67-point driver told he’s got ‘fundamental’ flaw, Red Bull won’t look at him – journalist appeared first on F1 Oversteer.