Honda is pushing Red Bull to give Yuki Tsunoda a test run in its Formula 1 car to show what he can do.
The Japanese manufacturer has long backed Tsunoda’s career, and its partnership with Red Bull has been instrumental in him having a seat at juniorAlphaTauri/RB squad since 2021.
But despite showing some decent flashes of speed during his spell at the Faenza-based outfit, Red Bull has never been convinced that Tsunoda has shown everything that it feels is needed to justify promotion.
Even amidst the struggles that Red Bull incumbent Sergio Perez is facing, which puts his 2025 drive in doubt, the team seems to be leaning more towards its view that Liam Lawson could be best placed to be a potential replacement.
Beyond that, Tsunoda has never even tested one of Red Bull’s F1 cars, having only got behind the wheel of the squad’s cars during demo runs.
Honda’s relationship with Red Bull ends next year, ahead of its switch to Aston Martin, but the manufacturer hopes that Tsunoda could still remain on board beyond that.
Speaking to Motorsport.com, Koji Watanabe, the president of Honda’s racing arm HRC, revealed his hopes for the future – and how he was in dialogue with Red Bull chiefs Helmut Marko and Christian Horner about a plan for Tsunoda.
Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team VCARB 01
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
“Regarding Tsunoda, our goal is for him to work hard and secure a seat at Red Bull Racing,” said Watanabe.
“We believe he has the talent. Of course, driver decisions are ultimately up to the team, but as a partner we’ve strongly requested that Tsunoda be given the chance to drive and test in a Red Bull car. We want to at least give him the opportunity to showcase his ability.
“I’ve also spoken directly with Christian about this. He hasn’t ruled it out. Nothing has been decided yet, but I think we need to proceed properly.”
Watanabe said the ideal solution for him would be Tsunoda stepping up to Red Bull for the long-term, even if he was not racing with Honda engines anymore with their partnership due to end concluding the 2025 season.
“If all goes well and Tsunoda’s abilities are recognised, I believe he could remain with Red Bull beyond 2026 and compete for championships,” he added.
“It would be ideal for Tsunoda to become more of a Red Bull driver. It’s not as if he’s parting ways with Honda forever. His current focus should be on securing a Red Bull seat, and if that’s his goal, he should pursue it.”
Watanabe has also revealed his hopes that Honda junior Ayumu Iwasa, who is competing in Super Formula, can become a reserve at RB next year – but has not ruled out him staying in Japan.
“For Iwasa, I think his basic position next year will be as a reserve driver for RB,” he said. “From there, the goal is to secure a full-time race seat.
“I’ve been discussing various possibilities for Iwasa with Marko. This includes what steps Iwasa should take next season to further his career.
“One option is for him to attend all F1 races as a reserve driver, similar to Liam Lawson.
“Another option is for him to continue racing in Super Formula next year. Personally, I think it would be beneficial for him to keep driving.”
While Honda is switching to Aston Martin for 2026, Watanabe said that there was no plan at the moment to team up with the squad on a driver development programme.
“We currently don’t have any plans to collaborate with Aston Martin,” he added.
“It’s not that we won’t in the future. But, at this point, there’s no agreed-upon programme. At least for next year, we won’t be partnering with Aston on driver development.”