The Red Bull second seat has been up for grabs for much of last season and is still on the market with no contracts signed yet. The seat is Sergio Perez‘s to lose, but the general perception is that he already has. Then came Daniel Ricciardo, who instantly became the favorite to replace the Mexican racing for the Austrian team since 2021. However, the man who has been patiently waiting for his turn for four years with Red Bull’s sister team is Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese driver has not yet been offered the opportunity to step up and many would assume his Bahrain GP antics would hamper his chances. However, Tsunoda is still confident about his chances of securing the Red Bull drive for 2025.

Tsunoda lost the plot toward the end of the Bahrain GP when he was asked to swap positions with his teammate on fresher tires. The Japanese driver not only let his feelings known on the radio but also let them get the best of him after the race. He taunted Ricciardo after the race while crossing him with a move that could’ve turned ugly had they made contact. Daniel Ricciardo blasted the 23-year-old’s actions and labeled them “immature”. When put on the spot and made to answer for his actions in the press conference ahead of the Saudi Arabian GP, Tsunoda accepted his mistake but expressed confidence in himself to turn it around and change the short fuse perception around him.

Tsunoda said, “Yeah, definitely. It’s the thing I have to improve for sure. And yeah, I mean, if I do those things again, for sure, it will be more issues. And I know these are things I have to improve mainly. So yeah, I’m working on it. And yes, I’ll show improve. Need more than two steps, you know, not just like one step, for example. And I have confidence that I can prove that. And it’s up to them if they want me or not, I think, for the rest of the things. But yeah, mainly focusing on those self-controllers. Other than that, I have pretty good confidence. I’m achieving most of it, and I just keep improving.”

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We are not sure this statement will make an impact on his judges. But he can surely change their mind with his performances on the track with 23 attempts remaining. Additionally, he can take respite in the fact that Red Bull’s honcho, Dr. Helmut Marko, still sided with him.

Dr. Helmut Marko sides with Yuki Tsunoda after the Bahrain GP kerfuffle

Every young driver in Red Bull’s sister is mentored by Marko and he becomes their judge, jury, and executioner. However, if Marko likes a driver, he makes sure they’re given the best facilities to progress, and that’s exactly what he did with Tsunoda as well. After recognizing Tsunoda’s short temper, the team hired a psychologist to work with Tsunoda on his temper.

Marko revealed, “We have organized a kind of psychologist to work with him, because he continued to rant in the corners, so that inhibits performance.” However, the incidents in Bahrain clearly triggered the Japanese driver and Marko was by his side. He said, “The drama could have been avoided. I spoke to Yuki afterwards. With the right strategy, he could have finished 10th.”

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However, the Japanese driver is in his fourth year and has high ambitions. If he continues to let his emotions get the best of him, he might lose face in front of the teams and not just the top three. Let’s see if he can prove his statement right over the course of the lengthy season.