HONDA WILL NOT 'INTERFERE' WITH YUKI TSUNODA'S F1 CAREER AMID RED BULL MOVE

Getty Images: Mark Thompson 

The president of the Honda Racing Corporation has said it will not “interfere” with Yuki Tsunoda’s Formula 1 career after his recent promotion to Red Bull.

Tsunoda has been the centre of attention for the last week, having finally earned a promotion from Red Bull’s junior team in a switch which sees Liam Lawson swapped after only two Grand Prix weekends.

The Japanese driver, who is now in his fifth season of F1, had been overlooked for the seat alongside Max Verstappen, suggesting that a move away from the Red Bull programme might be beneficial to his career.

Some speculation had previously tipped him to move to Aston Martin, which is about to begin a powertrain partnership with Honda, but its president, Koji Watanabe, has intimated that it will not make moves to lure the 24-year-old away.

“Our partnership with Red Bull will conclude this year, so we have no leverage to pressure Red Bull regarding 2026,” he said. “He earned his promotion to Red Bull based on his performance, so he must continue proving himself to remain there in the coming years.

“The most important thing is his own will – since he wants to continue with Red Bull, we have no reason to interfere.”

No ‘special actions’ taken by Honda to secure Tsunoda’s Red Bull move

Last week, Watanabe said he was “delighted” by Tsuonda’s move to Red Bull, and with confirmation he is still in a “sponsorship agreement” with Honda, which still shares a relationship with Red Bull, in as much as that its V6 hybrid engines are still powering the Milton Keynes squad’s car, albeit developed and rebadged under the Red Bull Powertrains name.

It was also reported by Dutch newspaper De Limburger that Honda was prepared to pay Red Bull millions to ensure Tsunoda would replace Lawson, after the Kiwi endured a torrid opening two Grands Prix with the team.

However, Watanabe has tried to quell such a notion was accurate, saying that whilst its relationship with the Red Bull hierarchy remains strong, it did not hold or use any influence.

“We don’t know when or how Red Bull will make [a given] decision, so we always communicate that they should choose the best driver,” he said. “I have very good communication with Christian Horner, and we constantly discuss not just driver personnel matters but also trackside support structures.

“This time, we did not take any special actions.”

Tsunoda will fittingly make his first race appearance for Red Bull at the Japanese Grand Prix – his home race – at Suzuka, a track operated by Honda, in a special livery commemorating Honda’s involvement in F1.

- Jack Oliver Smith