Red Bull continues to evaluate the candidates that could partner with Max Verstappen in 2025. Assuming the Dutchman continues with the team (a likely though not entirely certain scenario), one seat is realistically up for grabs. In this context, the reigning Champions would typically look to their second team – the Racing Bulls.
However, the last two years have been anything but typical for Red Bull’s second team. Since Pierre Gasly’s departure, various drivers have competed alongside Yuki Tsunoda. Two of them – Nyck de Vries and Daniel Ricciardo – are far from fitting the traditional academy profile. It took Ricciardo’s Zandvoort incident to force Red Bull into giving junior driver Liam Lawson an opportunity.
Based on every measurable metric, Lawson took this chance with both hands. The Kiwi driver is currently on the sidelines, though he is widely expected to drive for VCARB in 2025. To facilitate his full-time debut, one of VCARB’s current drivers will have to make way.
Across the paddock, the expectation heading into this year was that Ricciardo could be a viable replacement for Sergio Perez.
Frankly, the Australian driver has been linked to a Red Bull comeback since returning to F1 in Hungary last season.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 24: Yuki Tsunoda
DOUBTS ABOUT TSUNODA AND RICCIARDO
This sequence of events, however, is far from materialising. Most indicators suggest Red Bull lacks confidence that either Ricciardo or Tsunoda are viable options.
On-track results are already painting a rather dim picture for Daniel Ricciardo. His 23-year-old teammate is consistently outperforming him to start 2024. Whilst the 8-time winner attributes his early difficulties to something unknown in his VCARB 01, this has feeling not been validated.
Even if Ricciardo can get to the bottom of his current predicament, there is little evidence to suggest he will wipe the floor with Tsunoda. The Japanese driver is steadily progressing and has now faced off against several adversaries.
Unfortunately for Tsunoda, Helmut Marko’s comments to laola.at show quite clearly how Red Bull perceives the current situation:
“The question is: Has Yuki become a high-flyer, or is Daniel so weak? There is no objective answer after three races on three completely different courses.”
Red Bull already seems to have deemed that Tsunoda is not ready to fight at the front. In this sense, the Austrian team is working backwards. If the Japanese driver continues to lead the Racing Bulls, this could be seen more as evidence of Ricciardo’s decline than Tsunoda’s progress.
To be clear, Helmut Marko has been one of the young driver’s greatest supporters. Still, even his quotes demonstrate a hesitancy about his candidacy for 2025.
PEREZ, ALONSO OR SAINZ?
With the team’s driver pool (at least for now) deemed insufficient, the reigning Champions have two options.
The first is to retain Sergio Perez. On paper, this is a viable option for next season. Aside from being the safer, more conservative decision, it would maintain a driver combination that has proved successful.
Perez’s continuation, however, will be predicated on his performances. With Ferrari a far greater threat in 2024, he faces the challenge of helping the Austrian outfit retain their constructors’ title.
Meanwhile, there are attractive options elsewhere in the market. As confirmed by numerous outlets, Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz are seen as viable options. Christian Horner’s admiration for the Double Champion is well-established, and the team principal mentioned his compatriot as a 2025 option after the Australian GP.
As ever, the ebbs and flows of the market mean that predictions are very difficult. What is less adventurous to suggest is that Red Bull is exploring the options outside their driver set-up.
