Yuki Tsunoda has expressed his desire to stay "in the Red Bull family" well past the 2025 season.
With his speed, newfound composure, and four years under his belt at the Faenza-based junior squad, Tsunoda was nonetheless overlooked when Red Bull tapped rookie Liam Lawson to pair with Max Verstappen for 2025.
Late in 2024, Red Bull Racing head Christian Horner dropped a heavy hint that 2025 might mark the end of the road for the 24-year-old Japanese driver within the energy drink empire.
"You can't have a driver in the support team for five years," he said. "You can't always be the bridesmaid.
"At that point you either have to let him go or think of something else."
"Letting him go" might tie into rumours that Tsunoda's key supporter, Honda, could push for a move to Aston Martin next year. Yet an Aston Martin spokesperson emphasized that Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll are locked in for 2025 and 2026.
Such a scenario might leave Tsunoda on the Formula 1 sidelines after this year.
"We'll see," Tsunoda said ahead of the upcoming season. "Like every season, it depends on my performance. But I would like to stay in the Red Bull family."
Surprisingly, Tsunoda claims he wasn't shocked or upset when Red Bull chose Lawson over him for the current year.
"Last year's things I've already kind of parked and put out of my head, to be honest," he said. "At the moment they officially announced it, I didn't actually feel super angry or disappointed.
"I've just got to stick to what I'm doing, because there are things I can't control. I'll just keep focused on myself and try to prove myself more."
Addressing Horner's point about a fifth year with the junior outfit—now dubbed Racing Bulls—being excessive, Tsunoda grinned: "Maybe our team will change its name again next year so it's a different team. Let's see. It depends on my performance.
"Obviously I would like to stay in this Red Bull family, if it's Red Bull Racing that's amazing, if not then I'd still love to be in this part of the team. I feel a lot of support from them, which means a lot to me.
"Whatever happens, there can be interesting options."
Certain observers view the role next to Verstappen as a tough seat, given the quadruple champ's clear number 1 status. "The goal is to win the constructors' title," New Zealander Lawson said when asked what his job is for 2025.
"That clearly didn't happen last year. For me, I'm doing my job when we're competing for the constructors' title. That's really the goal and that's what's expected of me, regardless of my personal ambitions in Formula 1."
