Horner on Tsunoda's future: 'He has to earn that chance on the track'

Tsunoda still needs to improve

"Yuki is a very fast driver and we have seen him evolve over the past three years. He is now entering his fourth season as a junior driver and you have to remember that Red Bull Racing is only interested in AlphaTauri as a potential stepping stone to a seat at Red Bull Racing," Horner told Mirror Sport in an interview.

Horner's reiteration that Tsunoda only deserves a seat if he shows the potential to eventually move to Red Bull is a signal. In 2024, the 23-year-old driver will start his fourth season at AlphaTauri and in that, based on Horner's words, he seems to need to impress even more, otherwise Tsunoda might just have to cede his spot to another, new talent from the Red Bull junior programme.

"Yuki is in Formula 1 because of his talent, not because of his nationality. Now, whether he ultimately proves to be good enough to step up to the Red Bull Racing team... he will have to earn that opportunity based on what he does on the track," he said. "We get a bird's-eye view of what he's doing for our sister team – Max [Verstappen] came out of Toro Rosso, the same with Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Daniil Kvyat, Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly... that's what it has been there for, as a pipeline to produce potential drivers for Red Bull Racing."

How much confidence does Horner have?

According to rumours earlier this week, Horner would try to get rid of Tsunoda, as he does not see in the Japanese a future candidate for Red Bull Racing. In the interview, Horner states that he is confident in Tsunoda's abilities - and not explicit that Tsunoda is on the cusp - but he needs to keep developing.

In September, Tsunoda - along with Daniel Ricciardo - was confirmed for 2024 by AlphaTauri. He signed for one year so he must perform to qualify for a contract extension or a move up to Red Bull.