Marko reveals why Red Bull parted ways with Ricciardo mid-season
Red Bull's motorsport advisor Dr. Helmut Marko has confirmed that Visa Cash RB's Yuki Tsunoda has a real chance to join Max Verstappen at the Milton Keynes-based outfit in 2025.
Red Bull extended Sergio Perez's contract at the beginning of the current season which ties the Mexican to the reigning champion team until the end of the 2025 season. However, the Mexican endured a dramatic dip in his performance after his impressive start to the season which has led to questions about his future at Red Bull.
Red Bull has been known for being brave enough to make changes to their line-ups during the season which has happened several times during their presence in Formula One. Most recently, the company has elected to part ways with Daniel Ricciardo and replace the Australian with Liam Lawson.
Red Bull's motorsport advisor Dr. Helmut Marko has hinted that they can make futher changes to their line-up for next season, with Yuki Tsunoda being a possible candidate to join Max Verstappen at the senior team in F1 2025.
Asked whether he feels ready to step up and join Max Verstappen at Red Bull, Tsunoda said that he feels ready to measure himself with the top drivers.
“I’ve been feeling ready for the last three years to fight against the top teams, higher positions, even with Max or whatever.”
Speaking to F1-Insider, Red Bull's motorsport advisor Dr. Helmut Marko has confirmed that the Austro-British team is evaulating its driver line-up for the coming season.
“Tsunoda is a candidate to drive alongside Max in 2025. The remaining races this season will decide what our driver pairings will look like next year.”
While it was not fully known why Red Bull has made in-season changes to Visa Cash RB's driver pairing after the Singapore Grand Prix, Marko has revealed that the current situation allows the company to make a head-to-head comparison between Tsunoda and Lawson.
“We have decided to compare Lawson and Tsunoda. They have the same material, the same conditions, and each now has six races to prove that he is the better driver.”
“We once started with the philosophy of giving young drivers a chance in Formula 1. Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, and Daniel Ricciardo are just three examples.”
