Tsunoda to stay as RB driver for 2025 with latest seat on the grid confirmed

Yuki Tsunoda will continue to race for RB into 2025, with the team confirming that they have taken up the option on their agreement with the Japanese driver to keep him at the squad next season.

After making his debut with the outfit in 2021, Tsunoda has continued to progress and in 2024 has become a regular points-scorer, having finished in the top-10 in five of the eight Grands Prix so far.

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While the driver market speculation continues at pace – with several teams yet to finalise their line-ups for 2025 – RB have secured one of their seats by extending Tsunoda’s stint with the team, a move that the 24-year-old is excited about.

“I’m very happy to be staying with Visa Cash App RB and it’s a good feeling to have my future decided so early in the year,” Tsunoda said of the news. “For that, I want to thank everyone at Red Bull and Honda who have played such an important role in my career and will continue to do so.

“The team has a big development project ahead and I’m excited to be part of it. It’s great to know that everyone appreciates all the hard work I have put in and that the team believes I can help it move further up the grid.

“We have already made clear progress this season and that really motivates me to always give my best and that’s what I’ll continue to do with VCARB.

“For the moment, I’m concentrating on the remaining races this season, with the aim of bringing home as many points as possible, always growing with the team, laying the groundwork to do even better next year!”

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Laurent Mekies, RB Team Principal, added: “I watched Yuki’s progress in Formula 1 with interest even before I returned to Faenza and it’s been impressive, year after year. The step up he has made this year is simply phenomenal, and he keeps surprising us all, race after race.

“There’s no doubting his natural speed to which he has now added a much more mature approach and this combination makes him a very quick and consistent performer, and a great team player.

“We continue to get a better understanding of what he needs from us and vice versa, so we are progressing together, Yuki as a driver and the team, as Visa Cash App RB. We share the same ambitions, so there are several good reasons to continue our journey together. He still has a lot to give!”

Peter Bayer, CEO at RB, also shared words of praise for Tsunoda, commenting on the driver’s extended stay with the team: “Yuki is a graduate of both the Red Bull and Honda Junior Driver programmes and it’s thanks to a good job from all parties that he’s been able to reach his current level of performance.

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“As the saying goes, ‘never change a winning team’, so we are delighted to confirm Yuki as part of our future. He is a valuable asset on and off the race track, as his engaging nature has made him very popular with fans around the world. We are excited that he is staying with us.”

Tsunoda’s strong run of points has put him in P10 of the drivers’ standings with a tally of 19, while RB hold a lonely sixth place in the constructors’ championship with 24 points, 20 points away from Aston Martin in fifth and 17 ahead of Haas in seventh.