Tsunoda was labelled a fast but slightly inconsistent hothead upon his F1 arrival in 2021 at the tender age of 20, going viral because of his expletive-laden radio messages.
But with it being easier to calm a fast driver down than it is to make a consistently average driver faster, both the team and Tsunoda’s Honda backers kept supporting him as he matured into a tidy, well-rounded racer.
Aboard an uncompetitive car, he delivered his best season to date in 2023, proving right outgoing team boss Franz Tost’s adage that a young driver needs three seasons to properly adjust to F1.
As the team morphed from AlphaTauri into RB or VCARB, the now 24-year-old appears to have found another level that his much more experienced team-mate Daniel Ricciardo, an eight-time grand prix winner, has struggled to match.
As RB proved more competitive than last year, Tsunoda has so far consistently reached Q3 and scored points on five occasions, to the point where his off-track excursion in a wet-to-dry Canadian Grand Prix is now considered out of character.
But despite ramping up his performance levels, there has never appeared to be any serious momentum to promote Tsunoda to Red Bull’s main team, with Ricciardo brought back to RB to be an insurance policy if Sergio Perez failed to meet requirements.
And with Perez re-signing on a two-year deal, despite a tough recent spell in Imola, Monaco and Canada, it seems like Tsunoda’s career is stalling for reasons beyond his control.
Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
Red Bull’s strong man Christian Horner appears unconvinced Tsunoda can be the calm and harmonious presence alongside Max Verstappen that he wants, although team advisor Helmut Marko has kept the door open for a promotion in the future, suggesting Tsunoda clicked into gear a little too late to be considered for 2025.
“He has to continue to perform like he does now. Let’s see what the future brings then,” Marko told Motorsport.com. “His development is really good, although it came a little bit later than we expected, but he is now a top driver I would say.”
“This is the first season in which Yuki is consistently fast and he is controlling his emotions, which was his biggest problem before.
“To be fair to him, he had always flashes of speed, but this year besides the China race he is consistently fast. Of course, it is changing his profile.”
Tsunoda understandably looked a bit frustrated when asked to respond to…
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