Tsunoda has big dreams: 'Great if I can go to Red Bull'

Yuki Tsunoda has a car that is by no means competitive, but the Japanese driver has nevertheless had an acceptable season. He only took two points, and yet Red Bull Racing will probably find that Tsunoda is making strides in terms of level. He may even be almost ready for a seat next to Max Verstappen. The Honda protégé has nothing more to fear from Nyck de Vries, but probably he does from Daniel Ricciardo.

Should Red Bull decide to part with Sergio Perez at some point, Tsunoda - at least that is the story - is a potential replacement. He tells Motorsport-Total: "As a driver, it’s good to have attention from other teams, but for now, I am happy with AlphaTauri. [They’ve] supported over the last few years, so I am not considering other teams. If there’s an opportunity to go to Red Bull, that will be amazing. But like I said, [I am] not thinking too much about [2024], and there’s not much reason to go outside AlphaTauri."

Red Bull Racing's team boss Christian Horner has repeatedly revealed that Perez is not in question. Meanwhile, the Austrians did stable third driver Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri for the rest of the season. No doubt Red Bull Racing will keep a close eye on how the Australian does with the rearguard team. So for the longer term, Tsunoda is likely to have an additional competitor for that dream seat; alongside Perez, also Ricciardo.

At least with his current form, Tsunoda need not fear being sidelined by the Italian team. "I don’t have to worry much about the contract. I’m focusing now more on what I have to do in the race to deliver the results."