Yuki Tsunoda handed a Red Bull F1 test in Abu Dhabi after Honda intervention, as Oscar Piastri rules out a move for the time being.
Over the US GP weekend, there were suggestions made by Honda regarding a request made to Red Bull to give Visa Cash App RB’s Tsunoda a test run in the senior team’s F1 car. With the place of Sergio Perez still up in the air despite confirmations, the Japanese driver is searching for his name to be in contention.
There are already stories about Liam Lawson being looked at among other names. Ahead of the confirmation from Christian Horner, Tsunoda relayed his intentions. He noted that he has always pushed for a test with Red Bull in his earl years, especially seeing his peers like Isack Hadjar and even Lawson get one, but it never happened.
“I think that things will happen,” said Tsunoda to media. “With Red Bull Racing things, you just never know until that day. I’m just focused on what I have to do now. It’s a very good opportunity. At least finally, I can show a bit of my driving and they can see how I’m driving. It’s very important.
“It feels great, finally giving me an opportunity – I don’t know if it still happens or not – but there’s something I heard from them directly. I’ll try to maximise my opportunity. Definitely Honda helped me to push [for] that testing. They are pushing. Obviously, I was pushing since my very first race as well, even last year.
“But it’s kind of a mix between [me] showing a result that I stepped up a little bit more compared to last year and Honda also did a little bit definitely, pushing Red Bull as well. I was asking multiple times [for a test in the past] and it never happened. If you ask that in my second year or third year, I’d be very surprised.
“But I’m getting used to how difficult it is to get even a single-day test [for someone] who has outperformed most of the teammates in previous years. There are probably some things I didn’t know going on in the background that I didn’t know. At the same, I’ve probably not improved as much as much as they want at this level, especially radio communications,” summed up Tsunoda.
When Horner was directly asked about the test, he revealed that they held discussions with Honda to run Tsunoda even before the recent talks in the media. “Yuki, obviously, again, is a member of the junior team,” he said. “It’s something that we have discussed with Honda. We gave Yuki a run up the hill at Goodwood earlier the year, that was unexpected.
“And he was the first driver to drive a current Formula 1 car in an open-faced helmet and goggles. So he will test the car again at the test following the conclusion of the season [in Abu Dhabi]. It’s something that’s been agreed for quite some time and it will again be good to give him a run and get the opportunity to work with Red Bull Racing engineers and see how he performs in a Red Bull Racing car.”
Amid the Red Bull’s internal saga, the team’s consultant Helmut Marko ignited another topic between the races in Austin and Mexico, when he stated that Mark Webber has initiated his interest in getting McLaren’s Piastri to drive for Red Bull in the future.
Being a former Red Bull driver and now a manager to Piastri, Webber certainly has close ties with the management. But as of now, the Australian has a deal with McLaren, which runs until the 2026 season. And he himself intends to stay there when asked.
“Definitely not, I’m very happy where I am,” said Piastri to media. “I’m under contract for the next two years after this, and I’m certainly not looking to go elsewhere. So, it wouldn’t be a week in F1 without some comments from Helmut! Not massively. I mean, it’s a nice compliment, I would say. But, again, I’m very happy with where I am.
“They have quite a big pool of drivers that they can they can choose from if they want,” summed up Piastri, as McLaren chief Zak Brown also stated that he is not going anywhere when speaking with Sky Sports. “We’re obviously very happy with our two guys, and we’ve got them signed up for quite some time,” he said. “They are not going anywhere, contrary to some speculation by one other team boss.”
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