RB chief claims F1 star in the running for Red Bull seat

A Formula 1 team principal has revealed that his driver is in the running to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull and become Max Verstappen's next team-mate.

The coveted seat alongside the Dutchman has been filled by a plethora of talented drivers in the past, including Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon.

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Australian Daniel Ricciardo is the only driver that has been able to get the better of Verstappen over the course of a full season at Red Bull, and other names have fallen by the way-side after a relatively short period of time.

Perez is into his fourth season as Verstappen's team-mate and, despite losing out to the 26-year-old in all three previous seasons that the pair have been together, has been praised for his solid performances that have helped Red Bull claim two consecutive world championship doubles.

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Tsunoda playing himself into Red Bull contention

Now, it's Ricciardo's team-mate that has stuck his hand up in the early stages of 2024 to replace Perez, despite the Australian being one of the favourites before the start of the season.

While Ricciardo's form has fallen off a cliff, Yuki Tsunoda has been putting in some brilliant performances for RB, scoring points in two of the first four races and out-qualifying Ricciardo at all four events.

RB team principal Peter Bayer has praised Tsunoda for his upturn in performance in 2024, and suggested that he may be in the thoughts of Red Bull and other big teams as we head into a crucial few months in the driver market.

"Definitely. We spoke about it often," he told Sky Germany at the Japanese Grand Prix.

"He’s been going upwards over the last six months, is focused and concentrated. He’s been going forward and is looking strong. Pace-wise and mentally, he took a step forward. He transitioned from a teenager to an adult, he’s delivering great results.

"Helmut Marko has spoken about this [Tsunoda's chances of a Red Bull seat] and said that he won’t be making any decisions yet, but I believe that Yuki’s steady push forward will shed a positive light onto him, making him interesting to the teams.

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