Red Bull star tipped for brutal F1...

Red Bull star tipped for brutal F1…read more

A major twist is expected in the 2025 Formula 1 season, with a Red Bull star tipped for an unexpected and brutal axe. This change could signal a significant shift within the team, particularly in light of recent driver movements.

Red Bull Racing, based in Milton Keynes, will introduce a fresh face to their lineup in 2025, with Liam Lawson set to join Max Verstappen as his teammate. This change marks a significant shake-up for the team, as Lawson’s promotion comes at the expense of Sergio Perez, who was dropped at the end of the 2024 season. Lawson’s call-up to the senior team followed a relatively short stint at Red Bull’s sister team, AlphaTauri, where he replaced Perez after just 11 races. While Lawson’s move is a promising development for the team, it has left several other drivers, including Yuki Tsunoda, in a precarious situation.

Tsunoda, who has been part of the Red Bull family since his F1 debut in 2021, was once again overlooked for the Red Bull Racing seat in favor of Lawson. Despite showing consistent improvement and outperforming several of his peers—including Nyck de Vries, Daniel Ricciardo, and even Lawson during their time at AlphaTauri—Tsunoda has never been able to secure a permanent seat with Red Bull’s main team. His failure to move up the ranks despite solid performances has raised questions about his future, and his chances of continuing with Red Bull appear increasingly slim.

The 2025 season will be Tsunoda’s fifth year with AlphaTauri, the junior team in the Red Bull family. While this might seem like a comfortable position for the Japanese driver, it also highlights a critical issue. Red Bull’s long-term strategy has shifted toward focusing on their junior drivers, especially following the promotions of Lawson and Isack Hadjar, who are seen as the future of the team. This has further marginalized Tsunoda, who finds himself stuck in a team that is increasingly viewed as a stepping stone for newer talents rather than a permanent home for established drivers.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner hinted at Tsunoda’s potential exit during a recent interview. Reflecting on Lawson’s promotion, Horner made a cryptic comment, saying, “You can’t always be the bridesmaid,” suggesting that Tsunoda’s chances of securing a top seat within Red Bull are now exceedingly slim. It was a pointed remark, acknowledging that while Tsunoda has been close to securing a seat in the past, the team’s current direction seems to favor younger drivers who can develop alongside Verstappen.

Adding to the uncertainty surrounding Tsunoda’s future, 1997 F1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve has weighed in on the situation, predicting that Tsunoda may be the first driver to leave the grid in 2025. Speaking via Action Network, Villeneuve stated, “Tsunoda will be the first driver to leave the grid. He’s only there because of Honda. At some point, this will stop. And the writing is quite clear that this is his last season with the Red Bull family anyway.” Villeneuve’s comments reflect the growing sentiment that Tsunoda’s position within the team is largely due to Honda’s continued involvement with Red Bull. However, with Honda’s commitment to the team being subject to change, Tsunoda’s prospects are becoming increasingly uncertain.

Villeneuve went on to suggest that Tsunoda might not have much of a future outside the Red Bull family, saying, “I don’t see any team wanting him unless there’s a big Honda push.” This comment points to the fact that Tsunoda’s career has been heavily tied to Honda’s backing, and without that support, it would be difficult for him to secure a seat with another team. As Honda’s involvement in F1 continues to evolve, the window for Tsunoda to make a move to another team could be closing fast.

With Lawson’s promotion, and the Red Bull team’s focus on younger, more promising talent, the writing seems to be on the wall for Tsunoda. His future in Formula 1 looks increasingly precarious, and unless he can deliver exceptional performances in 2025, it’s likely that he will face a brutal exit from the grid. For Tsunoda, the upcoming season will be crucial, as it may well be his last chance to prove himself before the Red Bull family moves on from him entirely.