"And they said he's not enough for that Red Bull seat": Fans react as Yuki Tsunoda beats Liam Lawson and the likes of Lewis Hamilton

F1 fans were left reeling after Visa Cash App Racing Bulls driver Yuki Tsunoda finished ahead of Red Bull driver Liam Lawson and Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton during the 2025 Australian Grand Prix qualifying session. The Japanese driver is currently racing in his fifth year with the Faenza-based outfit after making his debut in 2021.

The 24-year-old had a stellar qualifying session at the iconic Albert Part Circuit as he finished in P5 and was just a couple of tenths of a second shy of Max Verstappen's time in P3.

Tsunoda finished ahead of the likes of the Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Hamilton and his teammate Isack Hadjar, who finished in P11, and his ex-teammate Lawson, who could only manage P18.

F1 fans reacted to Yuki Tsunoda's performance in the Australian GP qualifying on X, with one fan taking shots at Red Bull, saying:

"And they said he's not enough for that Red Bull seat"

"Incredible drive by Yuki Tsunoda to secure P5 in qualifying for the Australian GP! His speed and consistency are really shining through this season—definitely a strong case for that Red Bull seat."

"I’m definitely Team Yuki this season, after my beloved Silver Arrows of course. He was given a raw deal being passed over for the Red Bull seat. Here’s to hoping he beats Liam all season!" a third fan said.

Here are more reactions.

"Proving his worth!" a fan said.

"Mega mega effort from Yuki, take that Marko," another wrote.

"Really wonder what else Horner and Marko need to put him on that seat," one tweeted.

The VCARB F1 said earlier this week that he still wanted to race for the Austrian team after getting snubbed in favor of Liam Lawson for the 2025 season.

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Yuki Tsunoda comments on losing out on a Red Bull drive

As per Yahoo Sports, Yuki Tsunoda reflected on his future and said:

"I mean, I just gotta keep doing what I’m doing, and my mindset won’t change – I still want that [Red Bull] seat at some point. But the decision they made, it’s up to them, not me. I didn’t ask [why], really. I think Christian mentioned that it’s not about performance. From what I heard from other people, they’re saying it’s not performance-related.

"It’s more like a political [decision]. I don’t know. Maybe Christian didn’t really say specifically what the reason was. I didn’t care, really. Whatever they say, I don’t know if that’s true or not, to be honest. And in the end, I’m just gonna... I just told them how I feel, how I’m still motivated for next season, and that’s it."

The Japanese driver's contract with the VCARB F1 team expires at the end of the 2025 season and could see him leave the umbrella of the Milton Keynes outfit entirely.