Tsunoda alongside Verstappen at Red Bull in '25? Former driver believes so!

The Formula 1 season is only four races away, but there is already a lot of talk about the 2025 season, where a seat next to Max Verstappen will become available. Viaplay analysts Christijan Albers, Tim Coronel and Tom Coronel give their findings on Yuki Tsunoda, who Albers says is very underrated as a driver.

Albers wildly enthusiastic about Tsunoda

"I'm very excited, I'm really a fan of his," Albers explained. "I think he is a bit underrated. If you go and watch, and analyse, you see that his performances are actually just fantastic. He just lacks a certain hype and trend. When Max came as a youngster it was written everywhere: Max fantastic, you notice that's not the case with Tsunoda."

"I really regret that. He also needs the trend and hype to get into that seat. I don't understand why they haven't already swapped him with Perez anyway," Albers continued. Many names are mentioned for the seat next to Max Verstappen, yet Tsunoda does not always seem to be among them. "I find that really incredible (that Tsunoda does not seem to be considered for a seat at Red Bull, ed.)"

Talks between Tsunoda and Red Bull though?

Tom Coronel interrupted Albers, saying that there is indeed some play between Tsunoda and the Red Bull team. "Internally, I really do think there is talk about that. The speed is there, the experience he has now." Tim Coronel, for his part, does see Tsunoda moving for another team. "I can see him possibly moving to Aston Martin. All I hear is Honda, Honda, Honda, well, where is Honda going? One plus one is two," he explained.

'Marko won't let Tsunoda go to rival'

Tom Coronel thinks Marko will make work of the Japanese driver though. "If I were Helmut Marko, and I know Tsunoda is fast, I would precisely not want him to join the competition. Ricciardo he got to, Nyck (de Vries) he got to." Asked by Tim Coronel if Tsunoda is better than Perez, he replied firmly: "Definitely!"