Tsunoda heading to Red Bull in the near future? 'Not at our level yet'

The balance of power at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix turned out reasonably as expected beforehand. The first eight spots were all occupied by the teams you might expect there based on their qualities. Yuki Tsunoda was probably the surprise in the top 10. The Japanese from AlphaTauri drove another strong race.

Prior to the season, there were doubts whether Tsunoda would be able to replace Pierre Gasly as leader of the Italian team. The first few months proved that he would be just fine, more than ever, as suddenly media are speculating about a switch to Red Bull Racing in the near future.

'Amazing progression'

Christian Horner, Red Bull's team boss, was asked after the street race in Baku whether Tsunoda is ready for such a move? "I don't think he's at our level yet but he's making great progress and we're seeing he's maturing as a driver", Horner told the media, including GPblog. "He certainly has speed and I think as he gains experience, you know, I'm sure he's going to become more rounded. I mean, he's driven some strong races, so far this year.”

Franz Tost, the outgoing team boss at AlphaTauri, hinted that Tsunoda will need another year in 2024 before he should be able to make the switch to the main team. "We're not short of options for the team, we have a commitment with both of our drivers, with both of them to the end of 2024 [Verstappen end of '28], but the best thing he can do is perform at a very high level in the AlphaTauri.”