Yuki Tsunoda fires thinly-veiled dig at Red Bull as Daniel Ricciardo left red-faced
Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo are both vying for the seat alongside Max Verstappen next season.
Yuki Tsunoda believes that 'other factors' are playing a role in deciding Max Verstappen's next team-mate because Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson are still in the conversation.
With Sergio Perez's future the key topic for Christian Horner and Helmut Marko to address during the summer shutdown, it is expected that a new face will be in Red Bull overalls when the paddock arrives in Zandvoort in August.
Tsunoda believes that his name should be at the forefront of conversations about the Mexican's potential replacement and with seven points finishes to his name in 2024 already, it is easy to see why. However, he faces stiff competition from two other Red Bull-backed drivers.
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“I guess it seems like there are also other factors obviously, because they are considering other drivers as well," Tsunoda said ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix.
"It’s based on rumours, but… If you just see the performance, it’s quite clear like I said. It’s really clear that I’m the one performing well, even in the top of the midfield, if you compared [me] to all the drivers. So, yeah.”
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Tsunoda has been impressive throughout the 2024 campaign and heading into the summer shutdown, he has contributed to seven of the team's nine top-10 finishes, while outscoring Ricciardo 22-11.
Yet despite dominating his far more experienced team-mate, Tsunoda is unsure where he stands in the fight for a Red Bull seat. “At this point, I don’t know if they’re considering me, maybe they’re considering me," he confessed.
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“I don’t know. I guess it’s the same for everyone, I don’t think other drivers except Max get any information about that. Probably they are having conversations in the background, hopefully I’m in the conversation and I think I’ve done what I should have done.
“I’m happy with what I’ve done until today, and what should I do even more than that? You guys talk about the rumours and the Red Bull seat or whatever, it’s quite clear how many points I get compared to other drivers. So I’m happy with what I’ve done, it’s the things I can control."
