Tsunoda endorsed for Red Bull F1 promotion

Pierre Gasly believes Yuki Tsunoda “deserves a chance” to impress alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull.

The Alpine driver spent half a season partnering the Dutchman at the Milton Keynes squad in 2019, before being demoted back to what was then called Toro Rosso.

The Frenchman was then team-mate to Tsunoda for two seasons at AlphaTauri, prior to leaving the Red Bull family for Alpine in 2023.

Despite strong performances from the Japanese driver since Gasly left what is now RB, Red Bull has continuously overlooked him as a candidate to be slotted in next to Verstappen.

Through that period, Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson have been widely touted and heavily-considered as replacements for Sergio Perez – and Tsunoda has not, despite out-performing both.

Red Bull needs a long-term solution to its second driver woes, with Perez falling short of expectations this term.

The 34-year-old looks increasingly likely to have his 2025 contract torn up, prompting speculation that Red Bull will consider both current RB drivers for promotion.

“It’s a tough question,” Gasly replied to media including RacingNews365 when asked whether Tsunoda should be given a shot. “I think performance-wise, he deserves a chance.

“[He] seems to have improved a lot from the moment he came [into F1].

“He’s been performing pretty strongly this season and also last year. He’s beaten his team-mates.

“From this point of view, looking at the Red Bull programme, it will make sense to give him a shot.”

Money talks

Perez, underwhelming recent performance aside, comes with considerable financial backing from his native Mexico, with Billionaire Carlos Slim responsible for much of the package supporting the six-time grand prix winner.

That is a consideration for Red Bull, with reports linking soon-to-be seatless Williams driver Franco Colapinto to the joint Milton Keynes-Faenza outfit on account of his substantial sponsorship roster.

However, interest has cooled on the Argentine – who has suffered a number of high-profile crashes in recent weeks – which might make firing Perez less palatable.

As for Tsunoda, Red Bull centrally contracts all its drivers, meaning it could easily make the change – especially given reserve driver Isack Hadjar is waiting in the wings.

The importance of money in contemporary F1 is a reality Gasly alluded to, but the 28-year-old reiterated his conviction that Tsunoda has shown form enough to warrant a seat change.

“But in the end, ultimately, we know there is not only performance that comes [in] to that decision with the top team,” he conceded. “It depends on what Christian [Horner] and Helmut [Marko] want to do with it.

“So personally, I’d like to see him – and see what he does – there, but I know it’s not that easy. “And if you ask me, performance-wise, yeah, I think he deserves a chance.”