Christian Horner has shared his opinions about Visa Cash App RB’s Yuki Tsunoda possibly joining Red Bull in the future.
Red Bull Team boss Christian Horner has not dismissed the possibility of considering Yuki Tsunoda as a possible replacement for Sergio Perez, who is currently under pressure to deliver results or face a premature ouster.
Speculation surrounding the second Red Bull seat has risen in recent weeks as reports indicate that the team might be considering a replacement for Perez following his dismal performance despite the Mexican signing a multi-term contract extension last month.
The 34-year old has only scored 15 points in the last six rounds, leaving him 137 points behind teammate Max Verstappen amid rumours that his contract has a performance clause and this puts the driver at crossroads as the team is particularly known for its ruthless stance on non-performers.
Meanwhile, Daniel Ricciardo is the most obvious option given his experience with the basic Red Bull setup, but he hasn’t been able to consistently deliver results at RB.
However, the Milton Keynes outfit isn’t overly fond about the prospect of Tsunoda sitting next to Verstappen, despite the fact that he is enjoying a fantastic season in the sister car and is currently 11 points ahead of his teammate.
Carlos Sainz was also in the mix following his Ferrari exit. However, the speculation has lost traction because other teams made offers to sign the Spaniard as the season progressed. Liam Lawson is an another contender as the Red Bull reserve driver made a name for himself after filling in for an injured Ricciardo for five races.
However, Tsunoda remains an option according to Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner.
“You can never rule anything out,” Horner said. “We have options for multiple years on him because we believe he’s a talent.
“He’s a Red Bull Racing driver. He’s on a Red Bull Racing contract. You never know. Maybe he’ll get a test one day. You never know.”
Despite Tsunoda falling somewhat out of the picture, it is noticeable how much he has progressed as a driver. He has been delivering better results and has had a solid season, bringing in crucial points for the team. Touching on this, Horner praised the Japanese driver and his performance at Silverstone.
“I think Yuki’s doing a good job,” he added. “He got another point, he’s stringing weekends together, he’s doing a good job.
“I think he’s benefited from having Daniel [Ricciardo] alongside him. He’ll openly admit that he’s learned from Daniel, in terms of having an experienced driver and how they interact with the team and the engineers.
“Yuki’s not a rookie anymore. He’s got quite a lot of experience now under his belt, and you can see he’s putting that to good use – and in difficult conditions like today, I thought he drove a very good race.”
Yuki Tsunoda has been driving for Red Bull’s sister team, Visa Cash App RB, formerly known as Alpha Tauri, since the 2021 season. The Japanese driver was partnered with a more experienced teammate Pierre Gasly for two seasons before teaming up with De Vries who was later replaced by Ricciardo.
