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Red Bull's advisor Dr. Helmut Marko compared RB driver Yuki Tsunoda to Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso after a point-scoring race at his home race in Japan.
Yuki Tsunoda has been the only point-scorer for RB so far this season, keeping the team in tight competition with Haas, the only team to score points in the bottom five. While Tsunoda had a difficult start to the season, he finished P7 in Australia and carried the momentum to Suzuka for his home race, finishing P10. He has scored seven points so far.
Dr. Helmut Marko was rather impressed with Tsunoda's performance as he compared him to Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso. He wrote on Speedweek:
"At the second start, Yuki did sensationally well. His overtaking maneuvers were the show of the day. The fans were completely over the moon. His weekend was at the level of Max, Alonso and Co."
"Flawless, a great performance under the pressure of his home race."
With Sergio Perez's contract expiring at the end of this F1 season, Yuki Tsunoda is rumored to be in contention to partner Max Verstappen in Red Bull. However, he is not the only contender for it.
His teammate and RBR's reserve driver Daniel Ricciardo is also a speculated choice for the team but his performance so far has not been promising.
Door may be closed for drivers including Yuki Tsunoda to partner Max Verstappen in 2025
While Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo are rumored to be aiming for the Red Bull seat in the future (the two being sister teams), it all depends on a vacant seat in the team, which will only happen if they decide to not extend Sergio Perez's contract any further.
The Mexican had some questionable performances in the earlier F1 season but managed to finish as the runner-up. Currently, as well, he is running in second place in the championship with his teammate Max Verstappen at the top.
Although Red Bull has not disclosed any details of his contract extension publically, F1 journalist Peter Windsor claims that he has already signed an extension. He said in his YouTube video:
"I heard in the paddock area from various sources that are pretty reliable that Sergio has already renewed his contract for next year. In which case, you'd say, well, what was the rush?"
If true, it won't be disappointing news solely for Yuki Tsunoda. Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, who is without a seat in the next F1 season, was also a speculated choice for the team to partner with Max Verstappen.
