Yuki Tsunoda

Yuki Tsunoda will race for Red Bull in 2025, after earning a promotion after just two rounds.

After he was overlooked by Red Bull as they chose Liam Lawson to be Max Verstappen’s teammate for the 2025 F1 campaign, Tsunoda was set for another season at Racing Bulls. 

However, a strong start to the year, combined with Lawson's struggles, meant that Tsunoda was handed an unlikely call-up for his home race at Suzuka. 

Tsunoda’s F1 career started in 2021 at AlphaTauri following a rapid rise through the junior ranks. Ahead of his first season in F1, Tsunoda had spent just two years racing in Europe. He endured a crash-strewn season in machinery that was often capable of finishing well inside the top 10 in the hands of Pierre Gasly. Tsunoda ended the year well with a P4 finish at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Tsunoda made a notable improvement for 2022, although Gasly maintained the edge before leaving for Alpine. Red Bull then put Nyck de Vries alongside Tsunoda for 2023, with many tipping the veteran Dutchman to have the upper hand.

Tsunoda continued to make gains, dominating de Vries in the head-to-head, leading to his mid-season sacking, which paved the way for Daniel Ricciardo’s return. From 2023 onwards, Tsunoda was consistently the second-best performing Red Bull driver behind Max Verstappen.

Despite his improved consistency and performances, it was Ricciardo who was the favourite to replace Sergio Perez in the middle of 2024. Ricciardo wasn’t handed the promotion and was replaced by Lawson after the Singapore Grand Prix, who was given the Red Bull drive.