Guenther Steiner slams Red Bull over mismanagement of Yuki Tsunoda

Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has slammed Red Bull over the mismanagement of Yuki Tsunoda as the Japanese driver spends a 5th year in the sister team. The young driver made his debut with AlphaTauri in 2021 after an impressive F2 season.

After an error-prone first season, Yuki Tsunoda has shown that there has been a growth curve in the way he's approached racing. Every season with the team has seen him improve and get better. At the same time, he has been paired with different drivers who were in contention for the seat at Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen.

First, it was Nyck de Vries, who was given an opportunity to prove himself and show that he could possibly be a contender for the Red Bull seat. When it became clear that he wasn't, the Dutch driver was replaced by Daniel Ricciardo, who had impressed in the Pirelli tire test. After a lackluster performance from the Australian alongside Yuki Tsunoda, he was eventually replaced by Liam Lawson.

The second half of the 2024 F1 season was supposed to be a straight shootout between Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson, and the driver who impressed would get the seat alongside Sergio Perez. Even though there wasn't much to choose between the two drivers, Red Bull picked the Kiwi over his Japanese counterpart.

With not much to choose between the two in terms of performance, Guenther Steiner questioned what was even the point of keeping Yuki Tsunoda at Red Bull's sister team. He told GPblog,

“I don’t think that was the perfect choice. Everything was a compromise, it’s one of [those] choices. I’m in the opinion that [Tsunoda] should have been given the chance. I don’t say deserved because you don’t deserve anything, I always say."

He added:

“But would have been a better bet, say we put him in the car one year, and see how he’s doing. If he’s not good, let him go. Now he’s sitting another year in the Racing Bull, and it’s not motivational for the guy as well.”

Steiner questions why Red Bull even has a junior team

Yuki Tsunoda has been a part of the Red Bull sister team for 4 years, and 2025 would be his 5th year with the team. The team was first created as a junior team to the senior squad, where young talent proves itself before it gets promoted. With Tsunoda not even getting the opportunity, Steiner questioned what was even the point of having a junior team? He said,

“He’s doing more of the same, but he’s not exposed to make the step. It’s like he’s not given the opportunity, so why keep him around? I don’t know. His fifth year in the junior team, right? Is it a junior team, or what is it?”

The young Japanese driver's future could become a cause of concern in 2025, as with the end of the Honda partnership, even his association could potentially come to an end.