Visa Cash App RB driver Yuki Tsunoda has undoubtedly been one of the stars of the 2024 Formula 1 season.
The Japanese driver has lifted RB to 6 in the Constructors’ Championship almost singlehandedly given Daniel Ricciardo’s struggles this year.
Yuki Tsunoda was speaking on the Sky Sports F1 Podcast after another very strong showing in Imola.
The split between the top five teams and the bottom five teams has made scoring points very difficult for half of the grid.
Fernando Alonso was the unfortunate driver that missed out at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix after a disastrous qualifying performance and his strategy gamble in the race didn’t pay.
Tsunoda was once again the driver on hand to pick up the solitary point available, beating the other surprise package of the season Nico Hulkenberg.
Red Bull driver Sergio Perez had a weekend to forget and with his future in doubt, Tsunoda has been discussing his chance of joining the team in 2025.
In his fourth season in Formula 1, he appears to have taken another big step forward in his development.
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Yuki Tsunoda discusses his 2025 Red Bull chances
The grid is slowly starting to take shape for next season, but there are still three seats to be confirmed within the Red Bull camp for 2025.
Max Verstappen is contracted until the end of the 2028 season and despite Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff’s desperate attempts to lure him to the German manufacturer as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement, he looks very likely to stay where he is.
Sergio Perez is in a more precarious position with his contract currently expiring after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Reports from Mexico have suggested that Perez has been offered a new deal already, but he’s not happy with the terms currently on the table.
Tsunoda and his teammate Daniel Ricciardo have both admitted that they’re eyeing a promotion to the Red Bull team as early as 2025.
READ MORE: Daniel Ricciardo admits that his ‘dream’ is to finish his F1 career at Red Bull
However, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko appear to be wary of offering the Japanese driver a promotion at this stage.
It’s easy to forget that he’s only just turned 24 given how long he’s been in the Formula 1 paddock.
Yuki Tsunoda concentrating on RB’s success this season
Asked if Sergio Perez’s Red Bull seat is on his mind, Tsunoda said: “Always as a driver you want to be in the team and the car that performing well and obviously Red Bull is one of current best cars on the grid.
“Especially when you’re in the Red Bull family for such a long time, you always aim for the Red Bull car.
“If I say I’m not aiming for [a] Red Bull car, that would be a lie. But at the same time, I’m also very happy with the RB, V-CARB car and I’m very [much] enjoying the progress we’re making this season as a team.
“For me, currently, I’ve just got to keep focusing on performance, that’s all I can do to keep extracting the form from the car and [I’m] just always to see how much we can do.
“But obviously, there’s the story about whether I can go to Red Bull or not, that would be great.
“At the same time, the truth is we haven’t…there’s not much talking going on between Red Bull and myself.
“I’m doing what I’m doing and we’ll see in the future.”
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Yuki Tsunoda could look outside Red Bull for next move
It appears as though no matter what Tsunoda does this season, he’s unlikely to be part of the conversation to race for Red Bull in 2025.
However, his performances are attracting interest from other teams in the paddock.
Tsunoda is said to be ‘in the mix’ to potentially race for a rejuvenated Haas team next year.
There’s been a suggestion that he could join Aston Martin as a reserve driver next season with a view to earning a race seat when they team up with Honda in 2026.
His performances deserve an awful lot of credit no matter where he ends up next season, with Karun Chandhok apologising for writing him off before the beginning of the campaign.
Yuki Tsunoda has the potential to be a star of Formula 1 for years to come, he just needs the right car underneath him to achieve his desired results.
The post ‘The truth is’: Yuki Tsunoda shares how close he is to being considered for Sergio Perez’s Red Bull seat appeared first on F1 Oversteer.