Ex-F1 driver claims Yuki Tsunoda won’t be ‘mentally destroyed’ by Max Verstappen at Red Bull

Yuki Tsunoda has been often overlooked for a seat alongside Max Verstappen on the Red Bull Formula 1 team.

Ex-F1 driver claims Yuki Tsunoda won’t be ‘mentally destroyed’ by Max Verstappen at Red Bull

Yuki Tsunoda, Max Verstappen (via IMAGO)

Red Bull was recently in the hunt for Sergio Perez‘s replacement and saw Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson as possible candidates. However, this left out Yuki Tsunoda as the Red Bull hierarchy reckoned that the Japanese driver was not ready for a promotion. This line of thinking has urged ex-F1 driver, Anthony Davidson to claim that the 24-year-old would not be mentally destroyed by Max Verstappen at Milton Keynes.

Owing to Red Bull viewing Yuki Tsunoda as nothing more than a placeholder, the Japanese driver’s place in the Austrian outfit’s pool of drivers has often been questioned. Since his debut in 2021, Tsunoda has improved his race pace and has been a strong contender for points at times.

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Despite his impressive results in the past two years, his status within Red Bull has remained the same. Moreover, he was overlooked for a promotion mid-season when Sergio Perez was massively underperforming.

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Why aren’t we hearing about Yuki’s chance to replace Perez? Would he do a better job? He’s a feisty driver. I can’t imagine he’d be mentally destroyed by Max. He’s a resilient character.

Anthony Davidson said on the Sky Sports F1 podcast

These reasons did not go well with Davidson, who was appreciative of Tsunoda. However, what the former sees in Tsunoda, possibly Helmut Marko does not perceive in him, causing the Austrian to glance over his talent at every opportunity.

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Yuki Tsunoda’s ability to beat his teammates ‘can’t just be a coincidence’

On the other hand, ever since Pierre Gasly departed from the second Red Bull outfit, the burden of being the team leader has often fallen upon the 24-year-old. Regardless of the questions raised against him, he has fulfilled the role with flying colors and has scored the majority of the points for RB.

Yuki Tsunoda
Yuki Tsunoda (Via: Imago)

Subsequently, the 45-year-old was also observant of his caliber and asserted how Tsunoda has been successful at beating his teammates during the last 18 months.

These drivers come in – Lawson or Ricciardo comes back as an older experienced driver. Nyck de Vries has a go against him as well – and he keeps beating them, every single time. It can’t just be a coincidence.

Anthony Davidson said on the Sky Sports F1 podcast

During the last two seasons, the Asian driver has paired with three different teammates. Despite the variety of talents he has gone up against, he has been the lead point scorer. His excellence behind the wheel has been a part of the reason why he stayed at the Faenza-based outfit, while his teammates twice lost their seats mid-season.

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Apart from this, another chapter with a former teammate would begin soon at Austin. Liam Lawson would take part in a race for the first time this season and would like to give a tough fight to Tsunoda. Thus, a fierce rivalry could develop between the two drivers who want to have the upper hand in the championship at any cost.