RB confirm NEW F1 role for SNUBBED driver

Laurent Mekies, the team principal of Red Bull’s sister team Racing Bulls, has confirmed a new role for a snubbed Formula 1 driver at the team.

The Faenza-based squad have undergone quite the driver lineup transformation over the past year, after Daniel Ricciardo’s axe from the team and Liam Lawson's promotion to Red Bull.

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Isack Hadjar has replaced Lawson at Racing Bulls for 2025 and will go up against Yuki Tsunoda, who over the past four seasons has become a consistent and stable driver at the team.

Ahead of the 2025 season, Mekies has revealed a new role for Tsunoda just months after he was snubbed for the Red Bull promotion, with the team favouring Lawson, who has only raced in 11 grands prix in his career, leaving Tsunoda to contest his fifth consecutive season as a Racing Bulls driver.

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Speaking during a filming day for Racing Bulls’ new car the VCARB 02, Mekies revealed that Tsunoda’s new role in 2025 will be as the team’s leader, and he complimented Tsunoda for his 2024 performances, where he earned 30 of Racing Bulls’ 46 points.

"I am super excited. Yuki made a big step forward last year," Mekies said. "He really surprised us with the progress he made in terms of raw speed, as well as his technical qualities.

"Yuki was an integral part of all the changes we initiated last year and with Isack starting his rookie season, Yuki will be the team leader and an essential part of our plans for next season.

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"Isack, another product of the Red Bull Junior Team, has shown great speed in all categories and we are eager to see what he can do in F1.

"It has always been a pillar of this team’s role to bring young drivers into the Red Bull family and over the years we have definitely succeeded in doing that."

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