NASTY REPORT; Christian Horner has ‘privately’ issued ruthless judgement on a 24 year-old RACE STAR

Yuki Tsunoda will have a new teammate at RB for the final six races of the season. That’s after RB confirmed the promotion of reserve driver Liam Lawson at the expense of Daniel Ricciardo.

Tsunoda has raced alongside Lawson before – the Kiwi stepped in for an injured Ricciardo at five Grands Prix in 2023. He was immediately on the pace, beating the full-time driver in two of the three races that both finished.

If Lawson can convincingly outperform Tsunoda, then he could be in line to join Red Bull. The Japanese racer will feel he too should be in that conversation after his performances this year.

Tsunoda beat eight-time Grand Prix winner Ricciardo 12-6 in qualifying in 2024, reaching Q3 nine times to the Australian’s three. While he lost the race-day head-to-head 8-6, he scored 10 more points (22 vs 12).

Lawson is the fourth teammate Tsunoda has had in as many years since he joined the Red Bull junior team. He spent his first two years alongside Pierre Gasly, who then joined Alpine for the 2023 campaign.

Last season, he began against Nyck de Vries and was so dominant that the Dutchman lost his drive. Red Bull took up their option to extend Tsunoda’s contract by a further 12 months in June amid ongoing uncertainty on the other side of the garage.

Yuki Tsunoda set to join Aston Martin in 2026

According to Speedcafe, Lawson ‘could find himself alongside Verstappen’ if he ‘impresses’ Red Bull bosses in the next couple of months. That, in turn, would mean F2 championship contender Isack Hadjar graduating to RB for 2025.

When Red Bull considered sacking Sergio Perez earlier this season, Ricciardo and Lawson were the only genuine contenders. Despite being the standout option on paper, Tsunoda was overlooked.

The 24-year-old is preparing to leave in just over a year’s time. After seeing out his contract, he’s expected to join Aston Martin, who will partner with his backers Honda.

Arvid Lindblad, the 17-year-old who’s currently fourth in the F3 championship, could succeed him for 2026. Lindblad will race in F2 next year as he tries to build up the necessary superlicence points to enter the top tier.

Christian Horner has ‘privately’ issued brutal verdict on Yuki Tsunoda’s Red Bull chances

Aston Martin are currently fifth in the constructors’ championship, one place and 52 points above RB. Even on their underwhelming 2024 form, they would be an upgrade for a driver who seems to have no upward mobility at Red Bull – Christian Horner ‘privately’ says Tsunoda has no chance of partnering Verstappen.

But he can now map a route to the front of the grid. Aston have signed legendary designer Adrian Newey and a number of other world-class engineers as they look to win world championships.