A spectacular performance in Sakhir GP 2020 breathed life into Sergio Perez‘s career, which was on its deathbed. Red Bull, heavily impressed by him, recruited him to partner with Max Verstappen. And what a decision it has been as it became a win-win situation for both parties quite literally. However, with Checo’s contract set to end in 2024, and the second RB seat becoming a highly coveted one, the sword hanging over the Mexican’s head is inching closer. And the latest threat has come from a place much closer to home, the sister outfit.

AlphaTauri is Red Bull’s sister team. The team’s TP, Franz Tost, believes his man Yuki Tsunoda is the right one to fill in that RB seat. But to understand why Tsunoda fits in the description, we need to take a tour down memory lane as to what impressed the recruiters to bring him to F1 in the first place. Let us take a look at how the Japanese impressed the mighty RB clan.

In Formula 1, when you drive a car that doesn’t match your potential, you sometimes tend to get lost in the sea of magnificent performances. This is where one’s Formula 2 record comes into play as, because of being a spec series, the cars are EQUAL. Yuki Tsunoda was phenomenal in his F2 stint as he won the Pirelli’s Driver of The Year award for his tire strategies, and he even clinched the Anthoine Hubert Award, for being the Best ‘Rookie of the Year.’ Perhaps seeing the pedigree and his performance so far, the TP has come out to pitch him.

“Perfect replacement for Checo” as AlphaTauri TP names best man to partner Max Verstappen

Franz Tost, the sister outfit’s TP, has seen the graduation of a few drivers from his team to RB. And he is confident that the next time it happens, it will be for the talented Japanese who has already showcased strong performance in the 2023 campaign.

As quoted by GP Blog, Tost, speaking to Sky Sports, said, “Yuki has had two extremely strong races so far. I am very happy with that. It is not his fault that we are still not competitive. I can only say that Yuki is on the right track.”

“He has improved in all aspects. I think he should drive for AlphaTauri in 2024. In 2025, he will finally be ready for Red Bull.” And hearing this declaration, the internet has already begun planning Checo’s departure.

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Do you think Yuki can fill in the second RB seat in 2025? Or do you think it’ll be someone else who partners with Max Verstappen?