Laurent Mekies shares his development plan for Yuki Tsunoda as the battle for Red Bull's second seat heats up

Yuki Tsunoda is in a crucial phase of his Formula 1 career, with Red Bull still evaluating their driver pairing for 2025. To maximize his prospects, the 23-year-old must demonstrate to RB (Racing Bulls) that he is progressing well, especially in relation to teammate Daniel Ricciardo.

To start the 2024 Formula 1 season, Tsunoda has qualified ahead of Ricciardo on consecutive occasions. Although still without points this season, the Japanese is showing signs of promise - perhaps best evidenced by his Q3 appearance in Jeddah. This trajectory largely continues his form at the end of last season, which saw him claim points in COTA, Brazil, and Abu Dhabi.

Considering that Red Bull is no stranger to mid-season driver swaps, performing throughout the season is essential. Speaking to F1.com, RB Team Principal Laurent Mekies stated that Tsunoda's development trajectory was of utmost importance to the team. He said:

"The way we are evaluating Yuki, the way we are trying to grow Yuki... It gives a fantastic reference point," f1.com quotes Mekies as saying.

Only twelve months ago, Nyck de Vries made his debut with AlphaTauri. At the time, the Dutchman was widely tipped to be a revelation for the Faenza-based team.

It was not long, however, before Tsunoda established himself as the team's reference point.

Yuki Tsunoda's 2024 targets

As it stands, Yuki Tsunoda continues to defy expectations. Red Bull's decision to bring Daniel Ricciardo back into their roster less than a year after his McLaren exit was met with tremendous excitement in the F1 community. The Japanese largely became an afterthought, although his performances against Ricciardo so far suggest that writing him off is a mistake.

Further detailing his perspective, Laurent Mekies outlined what he wants to see from the 23-year-old in 2024.

"What we are looking for from Yuki is that he does that next step. The top guys, they make steps. They come and understand something more about the tyres, they will be able to go faster in given situations."

He added:

"If you have the bandwidth for that, your understanding of the car increases. If you have the capacity to utilise it when you’re driving then you will go faster. Yuki is growing this capacity year after year and this is why there is still speed to come."

He continued:

"[Yuki] has been surprising the F1 world every single year. He's in the fourth year. Is he going to keep surprising? That's the question we have to answer."

Ultimately, it is too early to draw any conclusions about Red Bull or Racing Bulls driver lineups for next season. What is certain, however, is that pressure will continue to mount on both drivers in the Austrian camp until a final verdict is reached.

Although Sergio Perez has started this year in solid form, there will be more tests for the 6-time race winner. In this context, the two Racing Bulls will be eager to position themselves in the best way possible to capitalise on any opportunities.

With the Australian GP up next, Ricciardo's performance will receive additional scrutiny - especially in the context of his tricky start to 2024.