Yuki Tsunoda has lost out on a promotion to Red Bull after they agreed a new two-year deal with Sergio Perez. Tsunoda will feel hard done by after an excellent start to the 2024 season.
He’s scored 19 points so far, finishing in the top 10 in five out of eight races and each of the last three. With eight-time race-winner Daniel Ricciardo only on five, he seems to be extracting the absolute maximum from his RB car.
Indeed, Tsunoda sits 10th in the drivers’ championship even though RB are sixth in the constructors’. Logic dictates that he should be in the bottom half.
The 24-year-old has thrashed also thrashed Ricciardo 7-1 in qualifying, one of the most dominant margins on the grid. Only Max Verstappen (8-0 vs Perez) and Alex Albon (7-0 vs Logan Sargeant) are beating their teammates more convincingly.
Having performed at a high level for the junior team, Tsunoda would have hoped for a promotion. In the past, Red Bull have called up the likes of Verstappen, Ricciardo, Sebastian Vettel and Pierre Gasly.
But Helmut Marko’s famed driver programme appears to be dysfunctional right now. 34-year-old Perez was an external hire in 2021, and he’ll have held the seat for six straight seasons if he sees out the duration of his new deal.
Yuki Tsunoda ‘flare-ups’ and inconsistency count against him at Red Bull
One journalist says it’s ‘baffling’ that Christian Horner and co. don’t seem keen on Tsunoda despite his standout displays. But The Athletic’s Luke Smith has cited two key reasons why team bosses are reluctant to sign him.
Tsunoda has admitted the need to get his ‘Monsters Inc’ temper under control after a series of radio outbursts across his first few years in the sport. Marko feels he’s become significantly calmer this year, leading to an ‘excellent’ upturn.
But Red Bull don’t seem to have fully shaken off their doubts about his mindset. And they may want to see him deliver over a long period before they consider him ready.
Tsunoda was comfortably beaten by the more experienced Gasly in his first two years in F1. He led the team last year on 17 points, but didn’t dominate stand-in driver Liam Lawson in the manner that would have been expected.
Smith wrote: “Perez is a known quantity for Red Bull, while Tsunoda’s past inconsistency and temper flare-ups have always left some reservations among the top players at Red Bull. As much as he’s been working to change that on track, particularly this year with some success, there’s still never been much of a push for him to move up to the senior team.”
Could Tsunoda go to Audi?
Tsunoda will wonder what more he could have done to assuage Red Bull’s worries. His form this year has been immensely consistent, with his point-less Chinese GP weekend looking like an aberration.
As you can see in the table below, he’s responded with a season-best showing in Miami to kick off his three-race scoring streak. It won’t be long before he’s eyeing Fernando Alonso (33 points) if things keep going as they are.
As he approaches the end of his RB contract, Tsunoda would be wise to consider his options. He’s previously said he could join Aston Martin due to their Honda tie-up, though that would have to wait until at least 2026.
Another option could be Audi, who will still want an impressive coup if they can’t get Carlos Sainz. With the Spaniard nearing a move to Williams, Tsunoda may now be top of their list.
However, one journalist says that Red Bull won’t release him if the German manufacturer come knocking. His contract may be up, but it seems that the world champions retain control of his F1 future.
The post ‘Some reservations’: Journalist shares the two key problems Red Bull leaders have with Yuki Tsunoda appeared first on F1 Oversteer.