AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost says Yuki Tsunoda continues to improve and remains "on the right track" for a promotion to Red Bull for 2025.
Tsunoda made his F1 debut for Red Bull's sister outfit in 2021 but had an inconsistent rookie season. Although he made progress in his second year, he still only scored 12 points during the campaign, with a seventh-place finish in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix his best result.
Having previously said that it takes three years for a driver to reach his optimal performance level in Formula 1, Tost warned last winter that this year was do-or-die for the Japanese driver who must prove that he was worth the team's support.
However, the current limitations of AlphaTauri's 2023 car aren't helping Tsunoda's efforts.
"Yuki drove two extremely strong races so far," Tost told Sport1 ahead of last weekend's Australian Grand Prix in which Tsunoda finished P10.
"I am very happy with him. It’s not his fault that we aren’t competitive yet."
Regardless of how Tsunoda's 2023 season unfolds, a move to Red Bull in 2024 is off the table for the Japanese charger as Sergio Perez is contracted to the Milton Keynes-based outfit until the end of next season.
But if Tsunoda continues his upward trajectory, he could be in line for a promotion to the senior bull outfit at the end of next year according to Tost.
"As far as I know, Sergio Perez still has a contract for next year," added the Austrian.
"All I can say is that Yuki is on the right track. He has improved in every respect. But I think he should drive at AlphaTauri again in 2024.
"In 2025, I think he will finally be ready for Red Bull."
But Tsunoda likely won't be the only Red Bull driver targeting a seat at the championship winning team alongside Max Verstappen.
The team's current reserve driver Liam Lawson intends to stake a claim to the plum drive, while Nyck de Vries is also hoping to assert his right to a promotion to Red Bull Racing.
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
