Ricciardo victory IGNORED in Red Bull F1 lineup verdict

A Formula 1 pundit has raised questions over Red Bull's Formula 1 lineup after their junior team driver Yuki Tsunoda was snubbed in a major decision ahead of the 2025 season.

The Japanese racer consistently proved he could beat his numerous team-mates, and his persistent victories over Daniel Ricciardo have now been ignored despite the Aussie star being eventually sacked from the team as a result.

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Ricciardo previously raced alongside Tsunoda at the junior Red Bull F1 team, VCARB, but in the eyes of the team bosses, the 35-year-old did not do enough to prove his worth in F1 any longer.

The Aussie racer was perhaps handed a premature exit, but his overall form failed to impress VCARB, with the team opting to replace him with junior driver Liam Lawson, who has now leapfrogged Tsunoda and been handed a promotion to race for Red Bull this season.

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Ricciardo team-mate in Red Bull snub

There were times last year when even Ricciardo looked to be in with a chance of reuniting with his old team-mate Max Verstappen at Red Bull, but the decision has been confirmed ahead of this season to partner his replacement Lawson with the Dutchman instead.

Speaking on the latest episode of his Formula For Success podcast, former F1 driver David Coulthard revealed his thoughts on Red Bull's decision to hand Lawson the promotion and snub Tsunoda.

"Yuki understandably disappointed that, having had a very strong season, that he wasn't given the chance at Red Bull Racing," Coulthard said.

"But I guess ultimately, for Red Bull, they asked the question, 'Do they think he's a future world champion? Do they think he's a Max beater?' This isn't opinions. This is facts.

"They've got all the data on him. You could say, if Yuki had better options outside of what is now the renamed Racing Bulls team, then he would have taken it."

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