With a promising start to the season, Yuki Tsunoda has shown that he is in a moment of significant growth, and the options for 2025 are many and not limited to the Red Bull family.
This season, movements in the driver market are at the center of conversations in the world of Formula 1. There is one driver in particular, who perhaps hasn't been talked about enough, who could be evaluating new opportunities for his future in the top category: Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese driver is clearly on the rise, as demonstrated by his excellent start to the season, and there could be multiple options in the market for 2025.
Staying in the Red Bull family
As Tsunoda himself stated, at the moment with his VCARB he manages to be "the first... of the others". The Faenza team allows him to often reach the points and occupy the best positions in the second half of the grid. With Monaco he has already scored points 3 times in a row, unlike his teammate. His consistency could lead the team to reconfirm him but promotion to Red Bull cannot be ruled out either. Main objective of all the junior drivers of the team and "natural" path according to Helmut Marko. However, this does not appear to be a viable option at the moment. According to Marko, the driver's improvement is evident, but not yet enough to guarantee him a seat next to Max Verstappen.
“This is the first season where Yuki is consistently proving to be fast, while also managing to control her emotions, which was her biggest problem. To be fair, you have always had flashes of speed, but this year, apart from the race in China, you have been consistently fast. This is changing her profile and also the consideration of her. A seat in Red Bull? It must be constant and long-lasting, it could even be there in 2026, but everything will have to be evaluated."
Statements by Helmut Marko. Motorsport Italy.
Marko still wants proof of Tsunoda's consistency on the track before promoting him to Red Bull, which rules out the possibility of seeing the Japanese take over from Checo Pérez as early as next year. The Mexican would seem to be the first choice of Marko and the team to continue alongside Max, although nothing is confirmed yet. In F1, two grands prix are enough to completely change the situation, as happened with Daniel Ricciardo. After his return last year, he seemed to be Verstappen's perfect partner for 2025, but now he risks being replaced by Liam Lawson, reserve driver for the Racing Bulls.
Alpine, Haas or Audi… but Marko decides
Tsunoda's good moment and latest performances on track have attracted the interest of other teams in the paddock looking for new drivers. Audi (currently Sauber), Haas or Alpine could be interested in offering a seat to the Japanese driver, perhaps as early as next year, options that the Japanese would be willing to evaluate. However, the final decision on Yuki's short-term future lies in the hands of Helmut Marko. According to the Austrian consultant, the priority of Tsunoda's management also depends on an option that Marko would have available to guarantee Tsunoda's presence in the Racing Bulls at least for next season. Option which apparently should be exercised before the end of August.
If this were the case, even if the market opens for Tsunoda, there would still be one season left in the Red Bull family, the last before Honda breaks off relations with the Austrian team. The Japanese company will then begin its collaboration with Aston Martin, which is why many see Tsunoda's future also within Lawrence Stroll's team.
