MONTREAL — Yuki Tsunoda will remain with RB in Formula One for the 2025 season after the team announced on Saturday it had taken up an option in his contract.
Tsunoda, 24, was out of contract with RB, Red Bull Racing’s sister team, at the end of the year, but has impressed with a series of consistent performances through the current season.
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Tsunoda said on Thursday in Montreal that his priority for 2025 would be to remain part of the Red Bull family, but revealed he had also been subject to interest from rival teams.
RB confirmed shortly before the start of qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix that Tsunoda would be remaining at the team for 2025 after it activated an option in his contract.
Tsunoda said in the announcement it was a “good feeling to have my future decided so early in the year.” The Japanese driver has typically had to wait until fall to learn of his plans for the following F1 season. But in what is already proving to be a fluid driver market for 2025, the team moved sooner to lock him in for next year.
The news ensures Tsunoda will continue with the RB squad through to a fifth season. He is currently on course for his best season in F1 to date, with his tally of 19 points already beating his total in the previous two campaigns.
It now means three of the four Red Bull team seats are confirmed for 2025. Red Bull Racing announced on Monday that Sergio Pérez would be staying put for next year alongside Max Verstappen, who has a contract that runs until 2028.
Why RB opted to stick with Tsunoda
The choice to extend Tsunoda’s contract comes as little surprise.
Tsunoda has continued to improve throughout his F1 career, emerging as a frequent top-10 finisher and has outqualified teammate Daniel Ricciardo 7-1 this year. Tsunoda is consistent, and this is exactly what RB needs as it continues its rebuild.
RB team CEO Peter Bayer made clear during the season launch earlier this year that he wants the team to work towards becoming “a competitor on the grid at the top of the midfield.” Considering Tsunoda’s five top-10 finishes in the last eight races, scoring 19 out of RB’s 24 points, he is part of the solution.
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“As the saying goes, ‘never change a winning team’, so we are delighted to confirm Yuki as part of our future,” Bayer said in the announcement. “He is a valuable asset on and off the race track, as his engaging nature has made him very popular with fans around the world.”
RB has long been considered the ‘sister team’ of Red Bull, essentially a training ground of sorts for prospective drivers. Tsunoda is a graduate of the Red Bull and Honda junior programs and has been with RB since he joined the grid in 2021 back when the team was known as AlphaTauri.
Given the performance growth and maturity, it begs the question of whether he will get a chance with the leading team in the future, particularly in light of Pérez’s new two-year deal.
Where does this leave Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson?
While Tsunoda’s confirmation came as little surprise, there is now set to be increased focus on the second seat that is currently occupied by Ricciardo.
The eight-time grand prix winner was once considered as a potential candidate to move up to Red Bull for 2025 and possibly replace Pérez, only for him to struggle for form this year. Ricciardo is yet to score a point in a Sunday grand prix, with his only haul coming in Miami’s sprint race.
Ricciardo has stated that his focus is on lifting his performances and remaining with RB for next season, but Red Bull also has its reserve driver, Liam Lawson, waiting in the wings for a potential move onto the grid.
Lawson impressed through a five-race cameo with the team last year when Ricciardo was ruled out through injury, but was overlooked for a full-time seat in 2024 as Red Bull opted to continue with Tsunoda and Ricciardo at RB.
(Photo: Alessio Morgese / NurPhoto via Getty Images)