RB Formula 1 driver Yuki Tsunoda has boldly expressed that the team’s long-term ambition is to fight Red Bull at the sharp end of the grid.
While Red Bull dominated in 2023, its second-string team opened last season struggling with an uncompetitive car that yielded just five points in the first 14 rounds.
Amid rumours that the side could be sold, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko announced the Faenza-based squad would forge a closer alliance with the reigning champions.
The addition of Red Bull’s rear suspension from Singapore helped to elevate the team’s competitiveness and it climbed to eighth place in the Constructors’ Championship.
Having rebranded from AlphaTauri to RB over the winter, the Italian outfit will continue to maximise its relationship with Red Bull within the realms of the current regulations.
And Tsunoda, who is entering his fourth season in F1, has declared that RB’s aspirations stretch to wanting to challenge the senior team at some stage down the line.
“As a goal we don’t just want to be in the top 10, but we hope that at some point in the future we will also be able to fight against Red Bull,” he told Motorsport.com.
“We weren’t entirely happy with what we were able to achieve in the last two years. Obviously last year we managed to grow in the second half of the season, but in the first part we struggled a lot, we expected better performances.
“Already from 2022 we wanted to make progress, we wanted better results. I think we needed this process.
“If we go back to 2021, we had a very competitive car, especially with Pierre [Gasly] managed to collect excellent results in the race, we need those results at least. And I think that with this collaboration [with Red Bull] we can do it.”
Along with utilising components from Red Bull, RB will expand its presence in the United Kingdom by moving its aero department to a facility in Milton Keynes, where the parent company is housed.
Although the collaboration has drawn complaints from rivals, Tsunoda thinks capitalising on its closer ties to F1’s pre-eminent force represents an obvious choice.
“I think it’s good to work closer to Red Bull Racing, which has been able to win a lot in the past,” Tsunoda expanded. “In recent years they have dominated.
“But obviously there are regulations regarding how much we can work together, this applies to others too.
“Let’s see how much closer we can work but, at the same time, I think it’s good to gain knowledge from that team, with a winning car.
“We hope that their experience and knowledge will give us a few more tenths to be able to fight with the best eight cars.”
Aside from a changed moniker, RB has welcomed ex-Ferrari Racing Director Laurent Mekies as Team Principal in place of Franz Tost, who retired at the end of last year.
RB also announced earlier this month that it had hired several new recruits. Former Alpine Sporting Director Alan Permane has been appointed Racing Director and Guillaume Cattelani has filled the Deputy Technical Director position. Meanwhile, erstwhile FIA Technical Director Tim Goss will become RB’s Chief Technical Officer from October.
Tsunoda is enthused with those recent additions and has highlighted Permane’s experience in operating within a title-winning setup as evidence of RB’s lofty intentions.
“For me it is the first experience of such an important change,” he said. “There are many things that are changing, people who have joined the team.
“We will have to adapt to a new environment, but for now there have been no big surprises, but at the same time the people who are arriving in the team have a lot of experience, like Alan Permane.
“These new arrivals will help us progress and will also help me become a better driver. Permane has won titles in the past, he brings a winning mentality, a mentality that the team needs.”
However, like Mekies, the Japanese driver has cautioned that such widespread overhaul behind the scenes could result in RB sustaining a sluggish start to 2024.
“Since there have been so many changes, with big names and so many people arriving, there are higher expectations,” he admitted. “At the same time, this time it is more difficult to adapt, to be able to integrate all the people into one team.
“It’s good to have many people in one team, but they also have to be able to be in a certain condition to express themselves at their best and I think this will take time. I don’t expect that from the first race we will have a super season.
“Laurent is trying to be more realistic, they dedicate the first races of the championship to giving people the opportunity to adapt to the team, creating a strong base for the future. Then we hope that the car’s performance will be positive.”
