Yuki Tsunoda to stay with Red Bull's F1 junior program through 2025 season
Team RB driver Yuki Tsunoda, of Japan, gets ready for the third practice session at the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race Saturday, June 8, 2024 in Montreal. Credit: AP/Ryan Remiorz
MONTREAL — Yuki Tsunoda will remain with Red Bull's junior team next season, RB announced Saturday.
RB picked up the option on Tsunoda's contract to keep the Japanese driver through 2025. He is currently teammates with Daniel Ricciardo, who hasn't confirmed a seat yet for next season.
Tsunoda debuted with Red Bull's junior team in 2021 and has shown yearly progress. This season, he's finished in the top-10 in five of eight races as Formula 1 heads into the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday.
“I’m very happy to be staying with Visa Cash App RB and it’s a good feeling to have my future decided so early in the year,” Tsunoda said in a statement. "For that, I want to thank everyone at Red Bull and Honda who have played such an important role in my career and will continue to do so.
“The team has a big development project ahead and I’m excited to be part of it. It’s great to know that everyone appreciates all the hard work I have put in and that the team believes I can help it move further up the grid."
RB team principal Laurent Mekies said he has been impressed by Tsunoda's progress.
“The step up he has made this year is simply phenomenal, and he keeps surprising us all, race after race,” Mekies said. "There’s no doubting his natural speed to which he has now added a much more mature approach and this combination makes him a very quick and consistent performer, and a great team player.
Visa Cash F1 drivers Yuki Tsunoda, left, from Japan, and Daniel Ricciardo, from Australia, speak to the media at the Canadian Grand Prix auto race Thursday, June 6, 2024, in Montreal. Credit: AP/Ryan Remiorz
"We share the same ambitions, so there are several good reasons to continue our journey together. He still has a lot to give.”
Tsunoda is currently 10th in the drivers’ standings with 19 points. RB is sixth in the constructors’ championship, 20 points behind fifth-place Aston Martin.