F1 News: VCARB Chief Hints At Promotion For Star Driver Ahead Of Qatar

VCARB team principal Laurent Mekies has hinted at Yuki Tsunoda's readiness to step up to a more competitive Formula 1 team and handle a faster car, suggesting the possibility of a future promotion to Red Bull. The Japanese driver is currently being assessed alongside Liam Lawson as a potential teammate for Max Verstappen.

Sergio Perez's diminishing performance has been a concern for Red Bull lately, and the team intended to have a backup handy in case it worsened to the point where he had to be replaced. That was one reason why Red Bull brought Daniel Ricciardo last season into its junior team, VCARB, but due to his own performance struggles, he was ousted after the Singapore Grand Prix.

Yuki Tsunoda's recent P7 finish in Brazil and P9 result in Las Vegas highlight his potential as a consistent point scorer. Having outperformed Ricciardo in most races this season, Tsunoda remains determined to secure a Red Bull seat. Mekies' remarks about Tsunoda's readiness for greater challenges come just a day after the 24-year-old openly expressed doubts about Red Bull's claims regarding his promotion, attributing the delay to internal politics that he believes are undermining his chances. Speaking about Tsunoda's unexpected improvement this season, Mekies said ahead of the Qatar GP:

"I think he has made a step this season that nobody could forecast and it's something he should be proud of.

"Of course I think he's ready to get a faster car. We are hoping to provide him with this faster car, but of course I think he's ready for a faster car and a faster team or a bigger team.

"It's one of our key DNA aspects for this team to be able to grow our drivers and to make them attractive enough so that Red Bull Racing want to have them.

"So we are very happy that you have this test and I'm confident he will perform well."

He added:

"All I can tell you is that the steps he [Tsunoda] has been doing this year have been a surprise to everyone and hopefully the surprise has also been for Red Bull Racing.

"We are in a business where everybody looks at the results and the second a driver starts to perform or to outperform compared to the expectations, then everybody will then change their opinions very, very fast.

"So I think for Yuki, it's all about continuing to perform at a mega high level on the track."