Daniel Ricciardo influence revealed by Yuki Tsunoda after clear Horner and Marko demand

Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner talks with Yuki Tsunoda.

Yuki Tsunoda was told by Red Bull’s Christian Horner and Helmut Marko that he must “calm down”, which is where Daniel Ricciardo comes in.

Tsunoda has raced with Red Bull’s junior team since joining the grid in 2021, with F1 2024 so far proving to be his strongest, most consistent campaign yet, scoring 22 points to team-mate Ricciardo’s 12 across the opening 14 rounds.

Daniel Ricciardo helping Yuki Tsunoda to calm down

And this strong form for Tsunoda comes after he was told clearly by Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and senior advisor/driver programme boss Helmut Marko that he had to “calm down”, with Tsunoda’s fiery team radio temperament having attracted attention on several occasions during his F1 career.

Even as recently as the 2024 season-opener in Bahrain, Tsunoda lost control of his emotions and launched a divebomb on Ricciardo during the cooldown lap, displaying his frustrations over team orders to let Ricciardo through.

Tsunoda, speaking with RacingNews365.com, reflected on that incident as a “very important moment” in his efforts to better control his emotions, adding that during the prior season, he had been clearly told by Marko and Horner that he had work to do in this area.

Tsunoda would observe how Ricciardo communicated over team radio – with the comments of Marko and Horner in mind – in order to make progress.

“Last year, in the second half of the season, I was told by Helmut Marko and Christian Horner that I needed to calm down and focus more on the feedback to become a more complete driver,” he said.

“Daniel is very, very good at that kind of thing, especially in terms of feedback and overall communication.

“After I got an insight into his communication style over the on-board radio, keeping in mind the goals set by Marko and Horner, things came together.

“Of course, things happened in Bahrain, but afterwards I changed to become a better driver, something I have been able to do ever since. I am therefore very satisfied with how I am doing in that area at the moment.”

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But despite Tsunoda’s progress, the 24-year-old has at no stage emerged as a serious contender to step up to the main Red Bull team. Even with Sergio Perez battling to retain his seat into the F1 2024 summer break – which he achieved – Ricciardo and Red Bull reserve Liam Lawson were the drivers in the frame to replace Perez.

And so, 1996 World Champion Damon Hill has advised Tsunoda to get on the phone to Aston Martin, who will take over use of the Honda power unit from Red Bull in F1 2026 when the next regulatory reset comes into force. Tsunoda has been a Honda-backed driver since 2016.

“If I was him, I would be on the phone to Aston Martin now,” Hill advised Tsunoda during the F1 Nation podcast, “because he’s Japanese and they’ve got Honda engines coming.”

Hill added that should Red Bull opt to replace Perez, Verstappen would be happy with a Ricciardo reunion, making reference to a social media video which featured Verstappen and Ricciardo leaving the Spa-Francorchamps circuit together via helicopter after the Belgian Grand Prix.

Referring to Tsunoda being snubbed by Red Bull, Hill continued: “I mean, he’s right in saying that, ‘I can’t understand. It doesn’t make any sense.’

“But when you see pictures of Max leaving the circuit in a helicopter with Daniel Ricciardo and they’re all smiles, you kind of get the feeling that Max would be quite happy with Danny Ric as a team-mate.

“And so, if his power is such in that team that he can almost influence that decision, then I do think the pressure is on to get Danny in there.”

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