Yuki Tsunoda outlines his ‘main priority’ in the hunt for his next F1 drive after RB

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Yuki Tsunoda is coming to the end of his fourth season in Formula 1, all with the same Visa Cash App RB team who he has helped to deliver a level of stability to.

The Japanese star has been a dependable performer for the Italian outfit, maturing through his time with them and picking up the speed with experience.

Without him, they would have been far worse off over the last two seasons, which makes it a surprise that he is not under consideration for a Red Bull drive.

He has slowly tailed off as the 2024 season has progressed, with teammate Daniel Ricciardo starting to perform at a slightly higher level than him – which is a slight problem for a man with the same aims at his Aussie colleague.

Yuki Tsunoda outlines his ‘main priority’ in hunt for next F1 drive

Tsunoda has been linked with a few moves away from Visa Cash App RB in his time with the team, mainly because he is backed by Honda – who recently signed a deal with Aston Martin.

There could be an offering with the Silverstone-based team in the future, but Tsunoda’s main aims are elsewhere, as he told Tom Clarkson on F1’s Beyond The Grid podcast.

READ MORE: ‘He’s given up’… Max Verstappen’s Monza radio messages highlight how bad Red Bull’s problems are

“That’s the main priority is Red Bull Racing,” he said. “It’s the one thing I was aiming since I joined Formula 1.

“The car is one of the fastest cars right now and currently, probably McLaren’s a little bit faster, but I just want to drive the car and show my potential for top three, top two, whatever.

“At the same time, if things don’t ever achieve, or maybe there’s other car – they’re happy with the drivers. Also as a driver myself, that’s also I want to drive some point in the top five. Hopefully VCARB will be able to achieve that.”

Why the final eight rounds of 2024 could be crucial for Tsunoda’s future

Tsunoda has scored nearly double the number of points that Ricciardo has in 2024, and if he can get back to scoring points (which he has failed to do for three rounds), then he will likely place Red Bull under pressure to consider him for 2024.

At 10 years younger than the Australian, he clearly has more driving left in him, and possibly more speed on the evidence of the drivers’ championship.

READ MORE: What Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari engineer did ‘really well’ to assist his Monza victory

Liam Lawson could also be an option, and has shown that he can match Tsunoda during his time with AlphaTauri in 2023, but he has four years less experience behind the wheel.

But the overarching factor in their decision is likely to be data, which rarely lies, and is a good indication of whether a driver is ready to step up to the plate.

It also relies on Sergio Perez continuing to struggle – a man who does have a contract for 2025, but has seen his seat come under threat as a result of 10 races without a top five finish.