Christian Horner has once again addressed Yuki Tsunoda’s situation, after the Japanese driver was unexpectedly left out of Red Bull’s plans: “You can’t have a driver in the sister team for five years.”
Tsunoda is arguably the biggest disappointment in this scenario, perhaps even more so than Sergio Perez, who may have seen it coming. The Japanese driver has been “overlooked” by the Red Bull family, which promoted Liam Lawson after just six races in 2024 as Daniel Ricciardo’s replacement.
A decision that has clearly stung Tsunoda, with Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner admitting: “Keeping Tsunoda in the team might not make sense anymore.”
Horner: “Does it make sense to keep Tsunoda? You can’t…”
Speaking to The Race, Horner explained why parting ways with Yuki Tsunoda could be a logical move: “We’re acutely aware that if we’re not able to provide an opportunity for Yuki – being, in all honesty, this year [2025] – does it make sense to keep him with us?”
The British team boss hinted at the possibility of Tsunoda’s departure: “You can’t have a driver in the sister team for five years. You can’t always be the bridesmaid. At that point, you either let them go or look for something different.”
However, Horner also added: “How did he take it? I think he’s very determined. He knows things change very quickly. Who would’ve thought nine months ago that we’d be sitting here talking about Liam Lawson as our driver for 2025? Things change fast in this industry, and he’s aware of that. He knows he needs to be the one knocking on the door” , Horner concluded.
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