Barely three months ago, Yuki Tsunoda’s window to drive for Red Bull Racing in Formula One appeared to have closed. Despite putting forward a strong case through the 2024 season for its sister team, RB, Red Bull passed over Tsunoda when replacing Sergio Pérez. Instead, it promoted Tsunoda’s teammate Liam Lawson into the seat.

Yuki Tsunoda revealed that Red Bull boss Christian Horner has given him assurances in the unlikely event he finds himself

The signs were there early that Liam Lawson was perhaps not mature enough to handle the job as Red Bull Racing teammate to four-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen.