Dr Helmut Marko has assured that Red Bull is not "overlooking" Yuki Tsunoda as a potential replacement for Sergio Perez, amid the Mexican driver's ongoing struggles in 2024.
While Max Verstappen qualified P6 in sprint qualifying in Qatar, Perez's difficulties continued, leaving him ten places lower on the grid. Perez partly attributed his result to an incident involving Charles Leclerc.
"I don't know exactly what happened with Charles," team boss Christian Horner admitted. "Unfortunately, Checo just didn't manage to get enough out of the car to get into SQ2.
"Checo really needs a good result now," Horner warned. "He's had a really terrible season since Monaco."
Despite a contract through 2025, Perez's position is clearly under review, with Marko revealing - and regularly repeating - that a post-Abu Dhabi GP meeting will determine his future.
McLaren's Lando Norris speculated that Verstappen's dominance is partly due to a lack of a competitive teammate, while Red Bull has highlighted Perez's performance as the major factor in missing the constructors' championship.
Rumours have linked Williams rookie Franco Colapinto with Perez's seat, though Williams boss James Vowles denied a deal is in place.
"There is interest," Vowles admitted. "But more than that, I can't really say at this point in time. I think those teams need to figure out what seats they have and don't have going into next year before we can ascertain where he's going, if he's going there."
Colapinto, 21, admitted uncertainty about his future: "If I no longer have a steering wheel next year, I'll just wait," he told L'Equipe.
Liam Lawson is widely seen as the top contender for Perez's seat. However, he remains unsure even about his future with Red Bull's junior team.
"My performances are being assessed and these races could be important," Lawson said. "But I don't know where I'll be racing next season, and even if I'm in the championship.
"Overall, the results haven't been bad, if we don't talk about Vegas. I can't afford two more weekends like that."
Logically, Tsunoda's experience and pace makes him a strong candidate. However, his ties to Honda, which will partner with Aston Martin in 2026, could work against him.
In Qatar, Tsunoda hinted at feeling overlooked by Red Bull Racing. Marko pushed back on that claim.
"We certainly are not overlooking him," Marko insisted. "We follow him closely. He had two very good races in Brazil and Las Vegas, but he also crashed twice in Mexico.
"He is getting his emotions under control more and more," Marko said, while acknowledging Tsunoda's inconsistency. "The problem with Yuki is mainly that he is not consistent. He made unforced errors this season, as they say in tennis. He is improving."
Marko also emphasized that Perez's underperformance cannot be ignored. "You won't become world champion with just one car," he said.
Horner added: "We are trying to help Checo and I really hope he can do two strong races."
Regarding the 2025 lineup, Horner said: "It depends on Checo. He is our driver and has a running contract. I will only talk about other drivers once he has decided with the team what he wants to do next season."
