Dr. Helmut Marko has confirmed that Yuki Tsunoda is "a candidate" to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull Racing starting from 2025.
The Japanese driver, who had not previously been seen as a serious contender for promotion to Red Bull's main team, has shown significant growth in his performance with the secondary RB team.
Marko noted that Tsunoda has gained better control of his "emotions," which had previously hampered his speed. "He was losing speed with that," Marko, Red Bull's senior F1 advisor, told ORF Tirol. "But that's in the past now."
Marko explained that the decision to give Liam Lawson the RB race seat was made to allow a direct comparison between him and Tsunoda. Speaking to f1-insider.com, the 81-year-old Austrian said, "Tsunoda is a candidate to drive alongside Max in 2025.
"The remaining races of this season will decide what our driver pairings will look like for next year. I can very well imagine that a junior driver will drive alongside Max."
He further elaborated on the head-to-head comparison between the two young drivers, stating, "We decided to compare Lawson and Tsunoda. They have the same equipment, the same conditions, and each now has six races to prove that he is the better one."
This week, 22-year-old New Zealander Lawson drove Red Bull's current car at Mugello as part of Pirelli's testing of its prototype compounds for the 2025 season.
Meanwhile, Marko suggested that Mick Schumacher has become a strong contender to secure the final seat at Audi-owned Sauber for 2025, potentially beating out Valtteri Bottas.
"We (Red Bull) started with the philosophy of giving young drivers a chance in Formula 1," he said. "Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, and Daniel Ricciardo are just three examples. The others are now following this philosophy."
He continued, "Mercedes is giving Kimi Antonelli a chance, Haas has Oliver Bearman, Williams has Franco Colapinto, and it seems that – fortunately – Audi is now seriously considering the young Mick Schumacher."
