Yuki Tsunoda Reveals “Strange” Experience With Daniel Ricciardo Amid Fight for Red Bull Seat

All Formula 1 drivers want to be in a championship-winning team. And currently, that team is Red Bull. However, with Max Verstappen locked in till the end of 2028, the drivers can only hope to aim at the seat alongside him, which will become available at the end of 2024 as Checo’s contract comes to an end. Being an AlphaTauri (now Visa Cash App RB) driver, Yuki Tsunoda was the prime contender for that seat along with Liam Lawson, one of Red Bull’s junior drivers. But all that changed as Daniel Ricciardo returned to the Red Bull family, especially when he replaced Tsunoda’s teammate mid-season in 2023. And the Japanese driver found the situation quite strange.

Daniel Ricciardo is one of the most highly regarded drivers on the current F1 grid and a proven race winner no less. In his very first year at Red Bull Racing in 2014, he outclassed the reigning 4-time world champion, Sebastian Vettel, by 71 points and also won 3 races in a season dominated by Mercedes. And he’s the only driver who went toe to toe with Max Verstappen and beat him in 2 consecutive seasons. He would have done so in 2018 as well if it wasn’t for his miserable run of mechanical failures leading to 8 DNFs. So, there’s no doubt why Red Bull regards Ricciardo so highly, and why Tsunoda must have felt strange being paired with him.

Yuki Tsunoda wants to prove himself against Daniel Ricciardo

The much-anticipated 6th season of ‘Drive To Survive’ was released on Netflix a couple of days ago. In episode 9, Yuki Tsunoda was asked about the changing team dynamics as Daniel Ricciardo replaced Nyck de Vries from the Hungarian Grand Prix onward. In one of the media sessions, a reporter asked Yuki, “…How are you viewing this dynamic now between you and Daniel? You both want a Red Bull seat should it ever happen so…”

In response, Tsunoda said, “Well, either driver will be slower, and the slower guy won’t make it to Red Bull. That’s easy, so… The faster guy, anyway, will have more chance to go to Red Bull. So it’s how it works in, I guess, Formula 1. And yeah, that’s it. Having Daniel as a second driver is a bit strange, but it’s not just about the Red Bull seat. What I want is to show my value as a driver, how good I am. So I will just have to keep delivering the results.”

With Daniel back on the grid full-time in 2024, he could be Red Bull’s priority if they so choose to replace Sergio Perez. But that will depend on what goes down at Racing Bulls this season. If Tsunoda manages to outperform the Aussie, he might still have a chance to secure the most desired seat in Formula 1 right now.

READ MORE: Christian Horner Declares Daniel Ricciardo as Serious “Prospect” for Replacing Sergio Perez in 2025

The Japanese driver is in his 4th year with the junior Red Bull team, and it might be his last if he fails to deliver a stellar performance.

Tsunoda will go all out in 2024 to show that he is a top driver

Tsunoda jumped to 14th in the standings in 2023 compared to 17th in 2022. Thanks in part to the significant improvement in the performance of the AT04. However, 14th is not going to cut it for him when going up against the Honey Badger in a newly rebranded team that is already promising to be a proper mid-field contender. And he knows that very well.

At the end of last season, Tsunoda openly shared his aspirations and thoughts about 2024. He expressed his commitment to proving himself as a top-tier Formula 1 driver. “Next season, I think the car will be better than last year, which will give us more chances to compete in the top ten. This will be the year when I show that I have everything in me to be a top F1 driver. To make that happen, I will have to go all out…“ He also said that he’ll need the support of those around him to achieve his goals.

The 2024 season is promising to be quite an exciting one in Formula 1 with a lot of anticipated movement in the driver market. What are your thoughts on the matter?