Damon Hill tells Yuki Tsunoda to get ‘on the phone’ to £1.1bn F1 team after Red Bull snub

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The Dutch Grand Prix will see Red Bull Racing line up on the grid as if nothing happened over the summer break.

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez will race for the team at Zandvoort knowing the pressure is growing on the Red Bull team with McLaren and Mercedes quickly closing the gap in the Constructors’ Championship.

However, things could have been very different had a meeting at Red Bull about Perez’s future gone in a different direction.

The team are in a unique position in the paddock with two drivers already up to speed this season racing for the RB outfit.

Daniel Ricciardo was seen as Perez’s likely replacement if Red Bull decided it was time to part ways with the Mexican.

Before the Australian took the lead in that conversation, reserve driver Liam Lawson was set to earn a promotion to the Red Bull team following his strong cameo with AlphaTauri in 2023.

This left Yuki Tsunoda in an awkward position despite the fact he’s outscored Ricciardo this season.

Speaking on the F1 Nation Podcast, former world champion Damon Hill shared his thoughts on the Japanese driver’s future.

Tsunoda was adamant he deserved a seat at Red Bull if Perez was let go but didn’t appear to be in the conversation.

However, senior Red Bull staff had no interest in promoting Tsunoda and so Hill believes he needs to look elsewhere in the paddock to continue his Formula 1 career.

The 1996 F1 champion believes that Tsunoda should pick up the phone and try and engineer a move to Aston Martin.

The Honda connection might be his way into the £1.1bn team – via Forbes – although it will be difficult to oust either of their current drivers.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Aston Martin F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Damon Hill tells Yuki Tsunoda to phone Aston Martin after Red Bull snub

Talking about the situation at Red Bull, journalist Tom Clarkson said: “What has Yuki Tsunoda got to do to get the credibility that he thinks he deserves? He’s been consistent this year. He’s been quick. And yet he’s never been part of the conversation.”

Hill replied: “If I was him, I’d be on the phone to Aston Martin now, because he’s Japanese and they got, they’ve got Honda engines coming.”

Clarkson then asked: “Because you think he just will never get the credibility he deserves within Red Bull?”

Hill concluded: “I mean, he’s right in saying that I can’t understand it doesn’t make any sense.”

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Yuki Tsunoda already linked with Aston Martin this season

Honda will become Aston Martin’s exclusive power unit supplier in 2026 when they end their current partnership with Red Bull.

It’s already been suggested that Tsunoda is collateral damage in the aftermath of Red Bull and Honda’s relationship which may have played a small part in his snub by the senior team.

When Tsunoda was at his peak this season, he was courted by several teams on the grid with his contract set to expire at the end of the year.

RB ended up tying Tsunoda down to a new one-year deal during the Canadian Grand Prix but it’s hard to see his career progressing while he’s still part of the Red Bull group.

Tsunoda admitted in May that there was a chance he could sign for Aston Martin in the future.

Aston Martin also considered Tsunoda as a reserve driver for 2025 but it would have been a big step backwards for the Japanese driver to give up a place on the grid.

The trouble for Tsunoda is Fernando Alonso is virtually indispensable for Aston Martin given his experience and ability, while Lawrence Stroll would have to drop his son Lance to make space for the 24-year-old which seems very unlikely.