Yuki Tsunoda has for the first time extensively reflected on the moment when Red Bull informed him that his teammate Liam Lawson was receiving the long-desired promotion to the top team. The Japanese driver candidly admits that he wasn’t exactly happy for the New Zealander, although the friendship between Tsunoda and Lawson has survived the news.
Yuki Tsunoda is on the eve of his fifth season in Formula 1. The Japanese driver signed a one-year contract extension last June, making 2025 officially his final season. However, this situation does not bring any additional pressure for Tsunoda. “My contract and everything around it ultimately comes down to my performance,” the Racing Bulls driver explains in Melbourne. “I’m already used to not having a contract for next year. I’ve been in exactly the same situation for the last four years, so I know how to handle it.”
Red Bull Promotion
In December, Tsunoda was informed that his latest teammate, Liam Lawson, instead of Tsunoda himself, was allowed to make the long-awaited step up to Red Bull. Tsunoda honestly admits, after a long pause in the conversation, that he wasn’t jumping for joy for his New Zealand friend. “I wouldn’t say I was happy for him, that would be a lie. He did his best and so did I, and in the end, the choice was up to Red Bull. It doesn’t bother me too much, but it is what it is.”
Has his friendship with Lawson, who had already raced against Yuki Tsunoda in the junior classes prior to his Formula 1 adventure, been affected by this? “We are still friends and we still talk to each other. We have also been teammates and have raced in the same categories, and since then our friendship has not really changed. But I know how he drives and how aggressive he is. So that’s an advantage I can use when I race against him.”
‘Saw the storm coming’
Tsunoda then makes a surprising revelation about the way Red Bull told him he would have to stay with the sister team until 2025. “Red Bull told me thirty minutes before it was announced: We have chosen Liam. I saw the storm coming, but I did my best. They only told me that it was not due to my performance.”
The Japanese driver is still in the dark about the exact reason why the New Zealander ultimately got the promotion. For now, Tsunoda plans to continue doing his best. “Anything can still happen in this world.”
