Shock at exclusion of in-form F1 driver in hunt to replace Sergio Perez

Surprise has been expressed at the exclusion of Yuki Tsunoda as a viable option to replace Sergio Perez.

Perez entered 2024 under severe pressure to keep hold of his coveted car for next season.

Although his form has been strong enough to fend off some contenders for his seat, such as Daniel Ricciardo, he endured a miserable Monaco Grand Prix last weekend.

RB’s Tsunoda, meanwhile, is driving superbly but has never been majorly considered to replace Perez despite his team’s status as a Red Bull sister team.

“I can’t understand why he isn’t part of the conversation for the second Red Bull seat,” F1 Nation podcast host Tom Clarkson said.

Fox Sports Mexico journalist Diego Mejia replied: “I don’t think he understands either, why his name isn’t even brought up as a possible driver for Red Bull in the future.

“He’s doing all the right things. He is beating a former Monaco winner.

“Daniel was, at one point, one of the top drivers in F1. He’s getting beaten by Yuki on a consistent basis now.

“Yuki’s head is in a good place. He’s not letting his temper flare as much as before.

“We’ve only seen one episode of that. Which was understandable, when he was asked to move over for Daniel at the first race in Bahrain.

“After that, he’s been on it. He’s really delivered.

“At some point, if he doesn’t find what he believes he deserves as a Red Bull driver, he’ll have to look elsewhere.

“This is a very good moment for him to look at that. He’s clearly [doing] the right things on track.”

Aston Martin have been named as a future option for Tsunoda due to their 2026 link to Honda, a Japanese powerhouse who may wish to have a Japanese driver.

The in-form Tsunoda has scored points in five of the past six grands prix.

He impressively qualified eighth in Monaco on the notoriously important Saturday.

Perez, meanwhile, cost Red Bull an estimated $3m with a serious crash in qualifying in Monaco.

Although he appears close to staying next year, Christian Horner has always stopped short of confirming Perez’s renewal when asked.