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Red Bull Junior driver Ayumu Iwasa has revealed his dream of joining the F1 grid. The Japanese F2 driver aims at the ultimate glory of a Formula 1 championship but is open to joining any team on the grid.
Iwasa is backed by Red Bull and Honda and is one of the candidates for the AlphaTauri seat next season. However, Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson are currently ahead of him in the queue.
Currently, all four seats at the Red Bull are out of his reach. Hence, the Japanese driver is seeking the attention of all the teams, while not waiting for a seat at Honda's future partner Aston Martin either.
"As a Red Bull and Honda driver, I am participating in the FIA F2 this season with support from both sides. My dream is not to ride F1 at Red Bull or F1 at Aston Martin, but to become the World Champion in F1 and stay in that position." he said to AutoSport Web.
Iwasa is currently driving for the DAMS F2 team and is putting on a stellar sophomore season. He occupies third place in the drivers' standings, with three rounds left. He is 34 points adrift of leader Theo Pouchaire and in contention for the title.
The 21-year-old wants to wrap up his F2 season with good performances in his efforts to attract the attention of the rest of the teams.
"That's why I'm not conscious of that. In the end, my performance in FIA F2 is important. If you have a good performance and are recognized by everyone, you should be able to be a driver who can be heard from anywhere," Iwasa said.
"I'm aiming to be that kind of driver now."
Winning the 2023 F2 title is the ultimate way for Ayumu Iwasa to establish himself as the next F1 graduate.
Mark Webber reckons Red Bull's rise is a "great success story" in F1
Former Red Bull driver Mark Webber heaped praises on the Milton Keynes outfit as he hailed their path to becoming an elite organization as a great success.
Webber was part of the team during its early years from 2007 to 2013 and played a crucial role in winning four constructors titles for the team. Recently the team achieved its 100th F1 win.
The Aussie driver reckons the team would get more praise if it had been a manufacturer.
“If it was a manufacturer, it might get some more praise and notoriety,” he said to Autosport.
While it's baffling that an energy drink company is beating the best automobile manufacturers in the world, Webber explained the reason behind its dominance.
“Because, in essence, it’s still a team made of tremendous individuals and people that have done a great job to engineer beautiful Formula 1 cars for world championships with constructors’ and drivers’ [titles], and to be dominant in many ways.”
“So, I think that their ability to be able to do that has been a great success story,” he concluded.
The team have also dominated this season, with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez occupying the top two positions in the drivers' standings.
