The Formula 1 grid is beginning to take shape for next season but one telling trend has emerged from the movements that have happened so far.
While the grid will look very different next year, only two drivers have officially confirmed that they’ll be changing teams.
The first was Lewis Hamilton announcing his switch to Ferrari while Nico Hulkenberg will go to Sauber in 2025.
More changes will happen in the coming weeks and months; however, top teams seem very reluctant to promote talent from further down the paddock.
McLaren, Red Bull and presumably Aston Martin will all stick with their current line-ups, while Mercedes look set to hand a complete rookie – Kimi Antonelli – a seat for next year.
Speaking on the F1 Nation Podcast, Damon Hill has been talking about one driver who potentially deserves a promotion after his performances this year.
Yuki Tsunoda has been sensational for Visa Cash App RB and is outperforming the car right now, sitting in the top ten of the Drivers’ Championship.
However, Hill isn’t sure that Tsunoda could cope with the pressure of driving for a team expecting to challenge for wins, namely Red Bull.
It leaves the 24-year-old in a precarious position having already been signed up for a fifth season by Red Bull’s sister team.
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Damon Hill unsure if Yuki Tsunoda can handle the pressure of driving for a top F1 team
Red Bull are in a unique position where they have four drivers on the grid at any one time – and a reputable reserve in Liam Lawson waiting for his next chance to impress.
It puts a different pressure on their drivers knowing that replacements are so readily available should their form dip.
Tsunoda has come into the 2024 season looking like a driver with a point to prove and has taken huge strides forward this year.
Team principal Laurent Mekies has admitted that he’s concerned RB can’t match Tsunoda’s ambitions given how quick he is at the moment.
However, Red Bull had the opportunity to replace the struggling Sergio Perez with Tsunoda next year and didn’t take it.
The Japanese driver was never even under consideration despite his fantastic displays this year and even admitted that talks never really happened before signing his new deal.
Hill wonders how well Tsunoda would deal with the pressure of driving for a team like Red Bull.
Yuki Tsunoda extends his stay at Visa Cash App RB into 2025
Talking about the driver situation in the Red Bull group, Hill said: “If you want Max [Verstappen] to stick with you and be confident that he knows what the future’s going to be like, then maybe signing Checo [Perez] is a way of saying to him, ‘Look, this is what the future’s going to look like, you’re not going to have a surprise new super-quick teammate to worry about’.
“If you’re Liam Lawson, you have to establish yourself, you can’t just come into F1 and be a dutiful number two, so he’ll be a threat.
“Yuki [Tsunoda] has done an amazing job. I don’t know if he can take the pressure of being at the sharp end of Red Bull.”
Tsunoda was attracting interest from other F1 teams before extending his contract with V-CARB, but no manufacturers currently racing at the very front of the grid.
Audi were closely monitoring Tsunoda and a couple of other teams were considering a move for the 24-year-old if RB decided to not renew his deal.
However, Red Bull recognised that Tsunoda was too good to let go in case he does one day develop into a driver capable of competing – or at least supporting – Max Verstappen in the future.
The post ‘I don’t know’: Damon Hill unsure if ‘amazing’ F1 driver could take the pressure of driving for a top team appeared first on F1 Oversteer.