2024 Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team

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Why does everyone seem to wait for Tsunoda so much? He might be best option from the 3, but I think he is still subpar for being at Red Bull. They are just wasting one more year with him.
Would be much better to aim for a proper replacement with whom they can aim for multiple years together.

Tsunoda can be blisteringly fast at times, but he is far from being consistent enough, from race to race, sometimes even within a weekend. Also he doesn't seem to be able to keep his cool during races. He would be exposed by these big time at Red Bull and next to Max.

There aren't any other options, right? Colapinto looks too crash-happy. Typical rookie syndrome. Lawson looks a bit rough around the edges still - like he'd damage the car every weekend in tussels. Who else? In a few years red bull's next promising junior arvid lindblad may be ready but in the meantime there isn't anyone obvious (other than sainz who they didn't pursue for whatever reason..)

[Paa]

Why does everyone seem to wait for Tsunoda so much? He might be best option from the 3, but I think he is still subpar for being at Red Bull. They are just wasting one more year with him.
Would be much better to aim for a proper replacement with whom they can aim for multiple years together.

Tsunoda can be blisteringly fast at times, but he is far from being consistent enough, from race to race, sometimes even within a weekend. Also he doesn't seem to be able to keep his cool during races. He would be exposed by these big time at Red Bull and next to Max.

There aren't any other options, right? Colapinto looks too crash-happy. Typical rookie syndrome. Lawson looks a bit rough around the edges still - like he'd damage the car every weekend in tussels. Who else? In a few years red bull's next promising junior arvid lindblad may be ready but in the meantime there isn't anyone obvious (other than sainz who they didn't pursue for whatever reason..)

Yeah, I acknowledged that Tsunoda might look best from the 3 available, but I'm just not particularly excited to see him at Red Bull. Yes, it is a change ans could be interesting for the first 1-2 races, but I don't expect anything exciting from Tsunoda. He could be like what Perez was in 2022-2023 or so. It is an overall boring choice for me and I don't think it would be groundbreaking for Red Bull either.

Red Bull could go for someone with a valid contract, I think they could get some good options if really wanted. Especially if they had started in time, around summer or so. Piastri would be an ideal choice if possible somehow. But I would rather see someone like Hulkenberg over Tsunoda.

[DChemTech]

Much as I would love to see Hulk on a podium once, and RB could give him that, he'd not be an investment with a future. It would be more of a "feel good credits" situation (provided he doesn't fail like his former teammate).

Maybe they can steal doohan, just for the alpine memes

[organic]

Why does everyone seem to wait for Tsunoda so much? He might be best option from the 3, but I think he is still subpar for being at Red Bull. They are just wasting one more year with him.
Would be much better to aim for a proper replacement with whom they can aim for multiple years together.

Tsunoda can be blisteringly fast at times, but he is far from being consistent enough, from race to race, sometimes even within a weekend. Also he doesn't seem to be able to keep his cool during races. He would be exposed by these big time at Red Bull and next to Max.

There aren't any other options, right? Colapinto looks too crash-happy. Typical rookie syndrome. Lawson looks a bit rough around the edges still - like he'd damage the car every weekend in tussels. Who else? In a few years red bull's next promising junior arvid lindblad may be ready but in the meantime there isn't anyone obvious (other than sainz who they didn't pursue for whatever reason..)

Yeah, I acknowledged that Tsunoda might look best from the 3 available, but I'm just not particularly excited to see him at Red Bull. Yes, it is a change ans could be interesting for the first 1-2 races, but I don't expect anything exciting from Tsunoda. He could be like what Perez was in 2022-2023 or so. It is an overall boring choice for me and I don't think it would be groundbreaking for Red Bull either.

Red Bull could go for someone with a valid contract, I think they could get some good options if really wanted. Especially if they had started in time, around summer or so. Piastri would be an ideal choice if possible somehow. But I would rather see someone like Hulkenberg over Tsunoda.

I think they simply sat there in the summer and accepted that they'd give Perez til the end of '24 and then either have Tsunoda or Lawson in '25. Colapinto was the extra unknown that nobody considered, but that's off the table now. It's not exciting to pick Tsunoda or Lawson, but I think Tsunoda could routinely be 3 tenths off max

Getting any decent driver in would probably require offering a multi-year contract, but with Max's future uncertain it doesn't seem wise to be signing multi-year deals with other drivers ATM

Plus red bull don't seem to care much about WCC - certainly Marko barely ever talks about it

[dialtone]

The next driver in that seat will be the next punching bag for f1 fans and media critics because he failed to defeat this era's main protagonist, Max Verstappen. I don't think Tsunoda can survive all of the awfulness that the F1 community harbors for the teammate that loses to Max.

Not it.

He could be beat all 24 times by Max and it wouldn’t be the same.

Not making q3 with the RB19, being outscored by VCARB or Gasly in the 2nd half, getting smoked by Colapinto from pit start, burning your clutch out… Checo isn’t seen badly because of Max. He’s seen badly because he’s not good and somehow still there despite more talented drivers out there, which is something RBR was good at dealing with.

[DChemTech]

Really only the sponsorship money is a reason why they may stick with SP. Can't imagine he's regarded a great brand ambassador at the moment, unless the slogan has changed from "rb gives you wings" to "rb gives you spins".
If they do incite SP to leave one way or another, there really doesn't seem to be much harm in promoting Yuki. Realistically there is no reason for Lawson to expect promotion to the mother team within half a season, and if Yuki doesn't perform well, there is also little hurt in letting him go after a year considering it's not RB-Honda anymore. RB has a junior thats 2nd in F2, so people will also not be too surprised if he gets promoted to VCARB. It all seems pretty straightforward, really.

[Rikhart]

Gasly has had a very, very good year. Why not consider him?

[SirBastianVettel]

I think it’s gonna be Albon to Red Bull and Colapinto to Williams.

[organic]

Gasly has had a very, very good year. Why not consider him?

Locked in as the leader at alpine for the foreseeable isn't he

And he burnt a lot of bridges during his red bull stint. A big part of that was Newey so that barrier is gone but still

[Sieper]

Gasly shouldn’t go back to Redbull. Been there, done that. It didn’t went well and that will always hover above him if he went back.He now is teamleader at a French team and they are finally doing well again. Stay put.

[organic]

Gasly shouldn’t go back to Redbull. Been there, done that. It didn’t went well and that will always hover above him if he went back.He now is teamleader at a French team and they are finally doing well again. Stay put.

That's another factor against moving. Merc PU and current trajectory proves the team can build a good car and maybe move back into the top 5 teams proper. With a Merc PU the current car could honestly be very good too.. gasly results recently are scarily good

[HPD]

It's not exciting to pick Tsunoda or Lawson, but I think Tsunoda could routinely be 3 tenths off max

Exactly, I don't think anyone can beat Max. But you have to find the fastest driver.

I know a lot of people don't follow Yuki career, but something interesting is that his driving style fits with Verstappen, something he always repeats. These last few days he has been back in the Red Bull simulator.
My question is, if Yuki really has a driving style like Max, wouldn't this be ideal for Red Bull?
Wasn't this always Perez problem? Both drivers wanted to go in different directions in development.

[PierreW]

Gasly shouldn’t go back to Redbull. Been there, done that. It didn’t went well and that will always hover above him if he went back.He now is teamleader at a French team and they are finally doing well again. Stay put.

That's another factor against moving. Merc PU and current trajectory proves the team can build a good car and maybe move back into the top 5 teams proper. With a Merc PU the current car could honestly be very good too.. gasly results recently are scarily good

Alpine is such a mess management wise, directors come in and leave at such a pace that no one can really make a positive impact. They destroyed their structure and them leaving the motor division show that they are in cost cutting mode. This team is toxic right now and a bad environment. Renault should sell the team.

[PierreW]

It's not exciting to pick Tsunoda or Lawson, but I think Tsunoda could routinely be 3 tenths off max

Exactly, I don't think anyone can beat Max. But you have to find the fastest driver.

I know a lot of people don't follow Yuki career, but something interesting is that his driving style fits with Verstappen, something he always repeats. These last few days he has been back in the Red Bull simulator.
My question is, if Yuki really has a driving style like Max, wouldn't this be ideal for Red Bull?
Wasn't this always Perez problem? Both drivers wanted to go in different directions in development.

Tsunoda is Honda's sandwich man. Would RB want to keep him until a Honda powered team snatch him? That do not seem likely for RB to invest into growing Tsunoda.

[venkyhere]

There is no experience like the experience from racing at highest level.

Anyway,

hoping to keep this sub-thread active until end of season with a scoreboard, starting from Texas GP :
Lawson +2 (started 19th and finished 9th)
Tsunoda 0 (started 10th and finished 14th)

5 more to go.

Lawson
COTA : +2
Mexico: 0
Brazil: +2

Tsunoda
COTA : 0
Mexico: DNF (no fault of his)
Brazil: +6

3 more to go.

Lawson
COTA : +2
Mexico: 0
Brazil: +2
Vegas: 0

Tsunoda
COTA : 0
Mexico: DNF (no fault of his)
Brazil: +6
Vegas: +2

2 more to go.

Though I like Lawson more for the Redbull seat (a proper fighter type driver), data says Tsunoda is the guy (more finesse and craft from more experience). Anyway, planning to keep totting up this table until after the last race. Let's see what Marko decides.

Lawson
COTA : +2
Mexico: 0
Brazil: +2
Vegas: 0
Qatar: 0

Tsunoda
COTA : 0
Mexico: DNF (no fault of his)
Brazil: +6
Vegas: +2
Qatar: 0

1 more to go.