It seems as though the scales have never really tipped in Yuki Tsunoda‘s favor at Red Bull. The young Japanese racing prodigy was once the crown jewel in the Red Bull junior programme. As such, he was given the green light to participate at the pinnacle of motor racing as he assumed a full-time role at AlphaTauri. But for one reason or the other, Tsunoda has never really broken through the B-team and made it to Red Bull Racing.

With Sergio Perez’s fortunes wavering now in that 2nd Red Bull seat, Tsunoda might’ve thought this was his big break. But to rain on his parade, once again, in came Daniel Ricciardo who will now audition for that seat alongside Tsunoda at AlphaTauri. But with Ricciardo now injured and out, another spanner has been thrown into the works as far as Yuki Tsunoda’s Formula 1 career is concerned.

How Daniel Ricciardo’s injury has jeopardized Yuki Tsunoda’s Red Bull future

With Daniel Ricciardo sustaining a horrid crash at the Dutch GP, the Honey Badger will be out for quite some time now. That meant Liam Lawson, the New Zealander has been drafted in to replace the Aussie. With some impressive performances, it seems as though Red Bull has taken a very important decision.

According to reports, “Yuki Tsunoda could be moved to the main Red Bull Racing team as a reserve driver with testing and sim duties This role would be similar to Alex Albon in 2021 who was able to get a seat again with Red Bull’s backing In this scenario Ricciardo – Lawson would be the lineup for AlphaTauri in 2024.”

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This couldn’t have been a split-second decision for Red Bull to make. However, it does appear as though Tsunoda is on board with this whole arrangement.

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Tsunoda pledges allegiance to the Bulls

On the face of it, Tsunoda will not be happy at the prospect of giving up a race seat for some newbie. However, the young Japanese driver still feels as though Red Bull has a lot to offer him. How happy he will be in light of the exact way this situation has unfolded is still something to be seen.

Back in July at least, Tsunoda was staying put. He told Motorsport.com, “I am really happy [being] with the Red Bull family. As a driver, it’s good to have attention from other teams, but for now, I am happy with AlphaTauri. [They’ve] supported over the last few years, so I am not considering other teams.”

Could this be the final nail in the coffin that lures Tsunoda away from the Red Bull stable?

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