A departure and many consequences. After the Singapore Grand Prix, Racing Bulls decided to part ways with its driver Daniel Ricciardo in the face of the Australian’s disappointing performances. A difficult decision to endure on an emotional level when we know the popularity of the former Red Bull driver in the paddock, but which also has repercussions on a sporting level. Indeed, following this ousting, the Faenza team decided to find a replacement for him in the person of Liam Lawson.
Motors Inside sans pub ?
Subscribe
Red Bull wants to observe the performance of the two Racing Bulls drivers
The New Zealand driver, a member of the Red Bull junior team, already knows the world of Formula 1 having completed five races last season, already in place of Ricciardo. However, this season, this transfer is not trivial, since Helmut Marko, one of the managers of the Milton Keynes team, indicated that he wanted to compare the two RB drivers at the end of the season.
“We decided to compare Lawson and Tsunoda. They have the same equipment, the same conditions, and each now has six races to prove that he is the best driver. We started with the philosophy of giving young drivers a chance in Formula 1. The remaining races of this season will determine what our driver pairs will look like next year.”explained the Austrian to F1-Insider. A statement which nevertheless adds pressure for the two Racing Bulls drivers, but especially for Sergio Perez, whose recent performances do not live up to Red Bull’s expectations and who could, in the event of further poor performances during the six final events, having to give up his place in the Austrian team.
Tsunoda candidate for Red Bull job in 2025
If this possibility materializes, several candidates are being considered by Red Bull, including Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese, however, signed a contract extension earlier this season to complete a fifth year with the Italian team after his debut in 2021. “Tsunoda is a candidate to drive alongside Max in 2025”indicated Helmut Marko. The Austrian has always demonstrated his desire to place a young driver alongside Max Verstappen. An arrival of Tsunoda at Red Bull would be a valuable element both for the Austrian team, given the Japanese’s satisfactory results this season, but also for Honda, Red Bull’s engine manufacturer, which would thus have the opportunity to work with a Japanese driver in 2025 before joining Aston Martin.
Read also : Red Bull will favor a young person to replace Sergio Perez
For his part, Tsunoda revealed that he is ready to take a step forward in Formula 1 and hopes to have the chance to compete against the best drivers on the grid. “If I wasn’t ready, I wouldn’t have been able to fully announce next season, at least for VCARB”he declared in Hungary. “I have felt ready for three years to fight against the best teams, for higher positions, even with Max or whoever. » The last six events promise to be crucial for Tsunoda’s future. Good performances could allow him to become Verstappen’s future teammate, although Red Bull appears keen to keep Perez for another season.
Perez still supported at Red Bull
In any case, this is what the Mexican announced through a humorous post on social networks where he took an extract from the film “The Wolf of Wall Street” to explain, like Jordan Belfort in the film, that he will not leave the team led by Christian Horner. Furthermore, apart from Helmut Marko, no one within Red Bull management is considering the Japanese driver as a teammate of the three-time Dutch world champion, according to information from Planet F1.
A Lawson-Tsunoda duel for the seat within the Austrian team?
However, the Austrian team has often flip-flopped in the past and, if Perez does not allow Red Bull to win the world titles, then the situation could change, and the duel between Lawson and Tsunoda at Racing Bulls could finally come to an end. turn into a clash for the seat at Red Bull.
Related News :