Villeneuve sees 2025 as final season in F1 for Tsunoda

Yuki Tsunoda is likely heading into his fifth and final Formula 1 season unless Honda orchestrates a lifeline for the Japanese driver, claims 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve.

The Japanese charger, once seen as a potential Red Bull Racing candidate, now finds himself on shaky ground, according to the Canadian.

Despite outscoring Liam Lawson during their six-race stint together in 2024 with Racing Bulls, Tsunoda has been passed over in favor of the Kiwi talent, with Red Bull seeing greater long-term potential in Lawson.

“Tsunoda will be the first driver to leave the grid. He’s only there because of Honda. At some point, this will stop,” Villeneuve told Action Network.

“And the writing is quite clear that this is his last season with the Red Bull family anyway. And I don’t see any team wanting him unless there’s a big Honda push.”

• Read also: How one 'big overtake' changed Liam Lawson’s life

With Honda set to join Aston Martin as their engine supplier in 2026, Tsunoda’s chances of securing a future beyond Racing Bulls look slim.

Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll are theoretically locked into Aston Martin’s plans for next season, leaving no obvious space for the Japanese driver.

Villeneuve Weighs in on Lawson’s Promotion

Meanwhile, Villeneuve turned his attention to Liam Lawson, Red Bull’s chosen replacement for Sergio Perez.

The 21-year-old Kiwi faces a daunting challenge stepping into the bulls’ main team alongside Max Verstappen.

“It’s a big chance for Liam Lawson, it’s a big opportunity, but we’ve seen drivers put into the main team right away collapse very quickly,” Villeneuve cautioned.

“So, we’ll see how mentally strong he is and how good he really is, because we don’t know yet. I mean, you cannot take his F2 season, his Japanese season, or his races against Tsunoda as a benchmark.”

Villeneuve believes Lawson must aim high but warned about the psychological toll of competing alongside Verstappen.

“Contractually Lawson is there to help Verstappen. But in his own head he’s not,” he explained. “In his head, he’s there to replace Max.

“So, he will try to be tough and quick. Hopefully, it will put Max under pressure and push Max to drive even better. This way it helps the team to make progress.”

What Success Looks Like for Lawson

Villeneuve offered Lawson a simple metric for a successful debut campaign: stay as close as possible to Verstappen.

“If it’s not a winning car, so they’re not winning the championship, in which case you would have to be P2 or nothing, then a good finish for Lawson would be one place behind Verstappen or two places behind him, that’s it. Not anything more.

“If you’re winning races, you make a big points tally. Because first to second is a big difference. If you’re finishing third, fourth, fifth, the point difference is tiny.”

As Tsunoda fights to extend his career and Lawson prepares for his debut season in Formula 1’s most competitive environment, the stakes couldn’t be higher for both drivers in 2025.

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