Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has confirmed that Yuki Tsunoda will drive the team’s RB20 in Formula 1’s end-of-season Abu Dhabi test.
RB driver Tsunoda has only had experience of Red Bull machinery in demo runs, although tried the Red Bull RB18 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in an open-face helmet and goggles.
Honda has been keen for Tsunoda to test a Red Bull in a more representative environment, and the president of its racing division HRC Koji Watanabe told Motorsport.com earlier this month that the manufacturer had “strongly requested that Tsunoda be given the chance to drive and test in a Red Bull car.”
Horner said that the run in a Red Bull had been agreed “for some time” and that he was looking forward to seeing how Tsunoda would get on in a title-contending car.
“Yuki is a member of the junior team, and it’s something that we have discussed with Honda,” Horner explained.
“He will test the car at the tyre test following the conclusion of the season, and it’s something that has been agreed for quite some time.
“It will again be good to give him a run, and get the opportunity to work with Red Bull Racing engineers and see how he performs in a Red Bull Racing car.”
Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team VCARB 01
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
This comes as Tsunoda has appeared to have been overlooked by Red Bull in recent months; his team-mate Liam Lawson has already tried the RB20 in a tyre test earlier this year, as the Kiwi has been linked to Red Bull as a potential replacement for the under-fire Sergio Perez.
Asked if the team was looking to make a final call on drivers at the end of the season, potentially with Lawson stepping up to the lead Red Bull team in place of Perez, Horner asserted that Perez was still contracted for next season.
He added that he would work with RB’s management to ensure that both teams had the best line-ups available.
“As I mentioned earlier, Checo has a contract for next year, so he’s currently our driver for 2025,” Horner said.
“Obviously there is a seat available at VCARB, but they’re all Red Bull Racing drivers that are on loan.
“We have the benefit of time to sit down with Laurent [Mekies, RB team principal] and Peter [Bayer, RB CEO] and look at all the options.”
