The promotion of Yuki Tsunoda to the Red Bull Racing team has generated a lot of discussion and raised eyebrows among Formula 1 insiders and fans alike. While some consider this a natural step for a driver who has demonstrated improvement and measurable results within the Red Bull junior team, others consider it another risky bet made by the sport’s once-hottest team and its driver policy.
Yes, the move can be considered a deserved award for Tsunoda’s perseverance and his steady improvement within the team. But this positive-looking decision may hide a worrying sign for Red Bull, which reveals the team’s lack of awareness of how to work with and develop young drivers.
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Red Bull Tsunoda move applauded but concerning
Formula 1 insider Alex Jacques pointed out that Tsunoda’s promotion can be regarded as a recognition of his steadiness and fast development as a prospect. After all, in F1, teams need both speed and consistency. Yet, Jacques points out that within the Tsunoda “feel good” story, there hides a tremendous concern for Red Bull.
“With Liam Lawson’s demotion after just two race weekends of the 2025 F1 season, Red Bull’s second-seat situation has reached an unprecedented point,” Jacques said. If Tsunoda fails to deliver significantly improved results compared to Lawson’s brief stint, it will indeed signal a deeper issue for the team, even with Max Verstappen’s consistently high performance, he points out.
There’s reason for excitement around Tsunoda, who has spent more time in the Red Bull family and has shown glimpses of greatness. Jacques points out he might be a safer bet than the quickly discarded Lawson. As Jacques puts it, maybe this is the time for Tsunoda to grab the opportunity, a “deserved award” for his work in the junior ranks.
Yet, to see this promotion only as a well-deserved recognition of Tsunoda’s efforts is to miss the potential major flaw in Red Bull’s driver development policy. This shows that the team is in a state of confusion and may not know what it wants to achieve with the second seat, as evidenced by the Lawson saga. If Tsunoda, who has had more experience in the Red Bull program, is unable to produce significantly better results than Lawson, then the senior team is in deep trouble approaching just the third race of the 2025 season in Japan.
Struggles with young second-seat drivers
Think about it: Max Verstappen, a once-in-a-generation driver, continues to excel, winning races and scoring points. But on the other side of the garage, if Tsunoda struggles to give the rivals a run for their money and get crucial points, Red Bull’s Constructors’ Championship ambitions could be for naught. It is essential to have one top-notch driver, but in the present F1, where every team fights for every point, both drivers must be on point to win both championships.
The main problem here, which Jacques points out, is the possible ignorance of the Red Bull leadership regarding the young driver development program. The quick rise and fall of Lawson, as well as the earlier examples of Gasly and Albon (drivers that Lawson should draw inspiration from), suggest that the program is more result-oriented than developmental.
If Tsunoda’s performance after being elevated is going to be the same as Lawson’s or Gasly’s and Albon’s first seasons, then it will show that there is a bigger problem with how Red Bull approaches young drivers. This could mean that the issue is not so much with the drivers being promoted but with the situation they are put in and the pressure that comes with it. This would be a huge weakness for a team that wants to rule F1 for years to come and cannot even retain and develop its own young talent.
The current situation of Red Bull requiring immediate elevation of Tsunoda after Lawson’s brief stint raises major doubts about their driver development methods despite operating an extensive junior program. Does their current driver development approach provide sufficient training for their young talent to withstand senior team pressure and media attention? The organization needs to provide the right resources and development time to help their drivers acquire top-level skills. Tsunoda’s performance over the next few races should start to answer that question — whether Red Bull is ready for it or not.
Tsunoda’s time is now, and it should be exciting to watch his progress. Yet Red Bull faces an even greater challenge in assessing its role in developing future Formula 1 drivers. It’s also on the brink of losing out on another championship season.
