Tsunoda: ‘Weird’ if Red Bull choose Lawson to replace Perez

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Yuki Tsunoda says it would be “weird” if Red Bull overlooked his candidacy to replace Sergio Perez in favour of the bulls reserve driver Liam Lawson.

While Perez recently signed a contract extension with Red Bull, his underwhelming performances continue to fuel speculation about his future with the championship team.

Helmut Marko has said that Red Bull will stock of the Mexican driver’s performances during F1’s upcoming summer break, suggesting that a change could be in store for the Milton Keynes-based outfit.

Furthermore, Lawson’s test last week with Red Bull at Silverstone was perhaps an indication that the team is exploring its options.

With Daniel Ricciardo considered to be out of the running for a potential move back to Red Bull due to his lack of consistency, the team would appear to be facing a straight choice between Tsunoda and Lawson as Perez’s potential successor.

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Ricciardo: RB upgrade issues could be ‘real shifting point’ for team

However, ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, Tsunoda addressed the situation directly, expressing his surprise at the prospect of being overlooked for Lawson.

"If they choose Liam, that would be weird," Tsunoda said. "Liam did a really good job when he drove in the sim, but I think I did more than that. So, we'll see how it goes. They know how to manage the drivers."

When asked if he feels ready and deserving of a seat should Red Bull make a change, he replied: "Yeah, of course. Otherwise, they wouldn't have announced my [2025 RB] seat at an early stage this year.

"I'm feeling ready compared to the last three years and to fight against the top teams, higher positions, even with Max.

"In the end, they are the ones who are going to decide, and it's not a thing I can control, so I'm just focusing on what I have to do in the next two races."

Tsundoa admitted that he had only had "casual chats" recently with Red Bull’s senior management regarding his future.

"[It was just] casual chatting like in the hospitality," he said. "I guess they're not really rushing it.

"Checo was announced a few races before. Checo had performed really well and if the driver is performing well, they don't have reason to change drivers.

"In the end, what they did was a good thing for Checo, because they didn't want to create any pressure and that's definitely fair.

"For myself, they wanted me to drive and focus on what I'm doing right now, so we didn't have a serious conversation yet.

"Haas is getting very close, so I still have a lot of things to focus on with our team. Let's see how it goes."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.