Yuki Tsunoda will remain a Formula 1 driver with RB next season after the team announced it has activated a one-year extension option with their driver.
He has raced for Red Bull’s second team since joining the Formula 1 grid in 2021 and will continue into a fifth year next season.The 24-year-old has scored 19 of his team’s 24 points so far this year, with top 10 finishes in five of the opening eight rounds of the season. He currently sits in tenth in the drivers’ championship, four places ahead of more experienced team mate Daniel Ricciardo.
RB team principal Laurent Mekies said he has been impressed by Tsunoda’s improvement as a driver over his four seasons in the sport.
“The step up he has made this year is simply phenomenal and he keeps surprising us all, race after race,” Mekies said.
“There’s no doubting his natural speed to which he has now added a much more mature approach and this combination makes him a very quick and consistent performer and a great team player. We continue to get a better understanding of what he needs from us and vice-versa, so we are progressing together, Yuki as a driver and the team, as RB. We share the same ambitions, so there are several good reasons to continue our journey together.”
Tsunoda said he was “very happy” to remain with RB into a fifth season in 2024.
“It’s a good feeling to have my future decided so early in the year,” Tsunoda said. “For that, I want to thank everyone at Red Bull and Honda who have played such an important role in my career and will continue to do so.
“The team has a big development project ahead and I’m excited to be part of it. It’s great to know that everyone appreciates all the hard work I have put in and that the team believes I can help it move further up the grid. We have already made clear progress this season and that really motivates me to always give of my best and that’s what I’ll continue to do with RB.”
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Jere (@jerejj)
8th June 2024, 20:48
Clear-cut for a while, so totally unsurprising.
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
9th June 2024, 1:38
hrc making it work.
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
8th June 2024, 20:55
Good news.
Yuki is far superior to quite a few of the other drivers on the grid and totally deserves his seat in my opinion.
I would love to have seen him in the other Red Bull next to Max but that will never happen will it……
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
9th June 2024, 1:39
they are driving a derivative car and hes the engine manufacturers driver. not hard to understand. his driving last year was horrible, this year, better than average.
Honda
9th June 2024, 5:17
Wow, you have no idea what you are talking about. First half of last year AT had the worst car and he had 4 P11. He would have got P9 in Monaco without the brake issue so he missed points there. Then after summer break the car improved and he was consistent among midfield in spite of being unlucky in Monza and Singapore. Where he had the pace to score point. In midfield only Albon did better than him who had much better car throughout the year. This year, I am sure he will end best of the rest, as RB are probably most consistent team in midfield even though the pack is converging with the exception of Saubers.