Yuki Tsunoda shares warning he received from Christian Horner and Helmut Marko last year

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Yuki Tsunoda hasn’t been able to force his way into contention for a Red Bull seat despite his impressive form in 2024. Instead, Christian Horner and co. have considered Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson as potential Sergio Perez replacements.

As the speculation intensified, Tsunoda said it would be ‘weird’ if Red Bull favoured Lawson. The New Zealander has only participated in five races – all during Ricciardo’s recovery from a broken wrist last year – while the full-time driver has now started 77.

What’s more, Tsunoda has clearly outperformed Ricciardo so far this season. His advantage has been most visible in qualifying, where he leads the head-to-head 9-5.

The Australian has managed to narrow the gap to 8-6 in the races, but it’s still Tsunoda who has brought home a healthy majority of RB’s points. He’s responsible for 22 of their 34 so far, keeping them above Haas in the championship.

And yet, he’s at the back of the queue if Red Bull decide to move Perez on. It’s worth noting that Tsunoda is backed by Honda, whose engine deal with the world champions ends in 2025.

But more than that, Horner doubts that Tsunoda has the mental strength to partner Max Verstappen. The consistent message has been that the team’s chief decision-maker simply doesn’t rate the 24-year-old.

Red Bull bosses told Yuki Tsunoda to ‘calm down’ like Daniel Ricciardo

Speaking to RacingNews365, Tsunoda reflected on key talks with Horner and executive director Helmut Marko last year. They concerned his tendency for emotional outbursts over the radio.

Tsunoda has likened himself to a character in ‘Monsters Inc’, such is his temper. But the Red Bull leaders warned him to ‘calm down’ and focus on what was truly important.

He feels he’s made good progress in this regard, with the help of Ricciardo. He’s learned from the ‘communication style’ of the 253-race driver.

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Ricciardo has won eight Grands Prix and stood on the podium 32 times during his career. While he may no longer be at the peak of his powers, this makes him a potentially excellent mentor for a younger teammate.

“Last year, in the second half of the season, I was told by Helmut Marko and Christian Horner to calm down and focus more on the feedback to become a more complete driver,” Tsunoda said.

“Daniel is very, very good at that kind of thing, especially in terms of feedback and general communication. Once I got an insight into his communication style on the radio, with the goals set by Marko and Horner in mind, things started to come together.”

Martin Brundle hands Yuki Tsunoda 2024 season award

Sky Sports F1 pundit Karun Chandhok admits he was wrong about Tsunoda this year. He feared that he’d be ‘blown away’ by Ricciardo, but instead he’s had the upper hand.

Colleague Martin Brundle named Tsunoda as the breakout driver of the season. That shows the extent to which he’s surprised the F1 paddock.

He’s showing that his potential may exceed an RB team who have an inherently low ceiling given their junior status. But he may have to leave Red Bull to achieve it.

Damon Hill has urged Tsunoda to contact Aston Martin about a possible seat. They’re replacing Red Bull as Honda’s partners from 2026, but he may have to wait for Fernando Alonso to retire before he gets a chance.