Christian Horner has shied away from making a promise that Yuki Tsunoda will one day be handed a promotion to Red Bull.
Tsunoda is currently in his third year with the Faenza-based squad, thanks primarily to the patience and faith shown in him by outgoing team principal Franz Tost.
The Japanese driver was genuinely surprised when he was handed a second season with the team last year following a crash-happy debut campaign at the end of which he could easily have been axed.
But Tost stood by his man, and the reward has been a slow, steady progression which you would assume would one day lead to a seat with the senior team.
At present, Max Verstappen has a deal through to the end of 2028, whilst Sergio Perez is contracted for 2024, and is performing at such a level that if he continues on such a trajectory, he is likely to receive another extension.
Asked whether he felt Tsunoda was currently Red Bull material, Horner replied: “I don’t think he’s at that level yet, but he’s making great progress.
“We’re seeing that he’s maturing as a driver. He certainly has speed, and I think as he gains experience, I’m sure he’s going to become more rounded.
“He’s driven some strong races so far this year.”
In an under-performing AT04 across the first three races, Tsunoda finished just outside the points in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, before gaining just reward for his drives by collecting a point from 10th in the crazy Australian Grand Prix.
With updates on the car for the last race in Azerbaijan at the weekend, Tsunoda qualified a superb seventh for the grand prix in which he was again 10th, the performances sandwiching a difficult sprint Saturday.
Mentioned to Horner that Tost had suggested Tsunoda requires one more year with AlphaTauri in 2024, and then it would be time for the next step, Horner replied: “We’re not short of options for the team.
“We have a commitment with both of our drivers (Verstappen and Perez) to the end of 2024.
“But the best thing he can do is perform at a very high level in the Alpha Tauri.”
In contrast, Tsunoda only recently claimed he was ready to move on to the next level in his F1 career.
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