Yuki Tsunoda prepares to make his debut in the RB21 at Suzuka, as Red Bull aims for the World Constructors’ Championship mercilessly.
In Milton Keynes, the situation never seems to change. A weight rests on the shoulders of driver Yuki Tsunoda, who will make his debut behind the wheel of the RB21 during the upcoming Formula 1 race weekend at his home circuit in Suzuka. A dream to drive for Red Bull that the Japanese has been simmering, patiently waiting for his own moment despite ability to get that promotion and a sponsor from his, Honda. Seniority shot that, after spending four years of his career as part of the Faenza-based team (formerly Toro Rosso and formerly AlphaTauri), has not arrived for 2025; or rather, had not arrived until less than 24 hours ago.
“The results will do the talking,” Yuki Tsunoda had commented about the advancement that saw the seat alongside Max Verstappen-once belonging to Mexican Sergio Perez-pass to Liam Lawson, a young recruit in Christian Horner’s team. And so it was; the New Zealander, after getting Daniel Ricciardo’s place in Racing Bulls, failed to put in the results Helmut Marko and the Red Bull team principal expected with a retirement in the opening race in Melbourne and a 12th place finish in Shanghai.
The catalyzing event of Red Bull’s driver trade strategy may have been the beginning of the decline for the Austrian Bull in 2015, after the four years of success with Sebastian Vettel, who would be replaced by Daniil Kvjat, who would join Daniel Ricciardo already at Red Bull from the previous year. Good results for the team returned only in 2022 and 2023, when Max Verstappen brought Red Bull back to Formula 1 dominance.
Red Bull drivers who could not hold a candle to Max Verstappen: Daniel Ricciardo, Daniil Kvjat , Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon
During the course of the 2016 season, as a result of number of accidents, the Russian driver was demoted to Toro Rosso, now Visa CashApp Racing Bulls; while, sharing the pit box with the Australian would come a then-unknown Max Verstappen, who was beginning to make waves. From that moment, in Milton Keynes, amid the uncertainties and variables of racing, one certainty stood out: the Dutchman would remain a pillar of the team.
The Verstappen-Ricciardo pair continued until the 2018 season, when the Australian switched to Renault and, in his place sat Pierre Gasly. Just a year after announcing him as the starting driver, Red Bull would announce his early farewell and return to Toro Rosso, swapping him for driver Alexander Albon: the latter would get the chance to run in the colors of Christian Horner’s team for just one and a half seasons, then he would give way to Sergio Perez, still remaining Red Bull’s third driver until his engagement with Williams.
And so we come to the Red Bull pairing, composed of the number One and Sergio Perez, starring in a 2024 season that saw the two-Bull team finish behind McLaren and Ferrari in the fight for the Constructors’ title. A year in which Verstappen and the RB20 had been able to cover there where his teammate could not, who, especially in the second half of the season, found himself struggling even to get past Q2. The news of Perez’s renewal with Red Bull until 2026 had caused a stir, but the more disastrous incidents in Monaco and Baku had led the Milton Keynes management to reevaluate the Mexican’s position, once again beginning the search for a worthy teammate for Max Verstappen.
It is known that running fast in Formula 1 is not only the single-seaters, but also time. Drivers find themselves with only one short opportunity to be able to prove their talent before the last grain of sand inside the hourglass can hit the bottom marking the end of time. A dynamic not new within both Red Bull and its satellite team, Racing Bulls.
Thus, Christian Horner had decided to write Liam Lawson’s name down as the second starting driver by promoting him from RB; however, even the young driver could not hold a candle to the four-time world champion and, starting with the Japanese Grand Prix, he will be relegated to Racing Bulls, while the Japanese driver will make his debut with the Austrian team.
Whether Yuki Tsunoda will be yet another pawn to fall on the Red Bull chessboard in a total eclipse by the Dutchman, only time will tell. What is certain is that in Milton Keynes they are looking to bring the Constructors’ title back home, and to do so, two excellent drivers will be needed to compensate for the performance difficulties of the new single-seater.
Photo: Oracle Red Bull Racing.
