Tsunoda not worried by Red Bull 'environment change'

Yuki Tsunoda has asserted he is unfazed by the prospect of facing the pressure of racing alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull.

Tsunoda has enjoyed a strong opening half to the current F1 campaign, scoring 22 points across the first 14 rounds.

His commendable performances in the early stage of the season saw him rewarded with an extended contract at RB for next year.

However, as Sergio Perez continues to struggle at the sister Red Bull squad, Tsunoda has been touted as a potential replacement for the Mexican driver.

Tsunoda, who is currently in his fourth F1 season, downplayed the significance of such a move and asserted he would not change his approach should Red Bull opt to promote him.

“I think those things, I'm not really worried about it,” Tsunoda told RacingNews365 in an exclusive interview. 

“Again, what I have to do, if I stepped up to Red Bull is exactly the same as what I'm doing right now.

“It's just the situation is a little bit different and maybe pressure-wise, it would be a little bit different as well.

“But in the end, the target and things I’m doing are exactly the same, so I’m not really worried about the environment change.”

Tsunoda has entertained Horner, Marko conversations

Tsunoda confirmed he has held conversations with Christian Horner and Helmut Marko over his F1 form.

However, he denied that were “decisive” talks focused on his future as the Japanese driver acknowledged his best strategy is continuing to impress on the track.

“A little bit [of talks], I would say - but it's not significant [with] different targets or decisive conversations that make my future.

“Both Helmut and Christian are saying, I still have to perform and concentrate on what I’m doing.

“But if they're happy with what I’m doing right now, I’ll just keep improving, show my good performance and see how it goes. It’s not like it’s things that I hear over my future.”