Tsunoda 'on edge of cliff' ahead of Red Bull audition

Yuki Tsunoda believes being "on the edge of the cliff" has made him a stronger driver as he made an aggressive sales pitch ahead of his Red Bull test.

The Japanese racer is to take part in the Abu Dhabi post-season test for Red Bull, the first time he would have driven a contemporary Red Bull machine as he vies for promotion to be Max Verstappen's 2205 team-mate.

Incumbent Sergio Perez is widely expected to be dropped following an abysmal season, with a meeting planned for top Red Bull personnel to discuss next steps, with Tsunoda or RB team-mate Liam Lawson set to be promoted.

It is understood Lawson appears to be the leading contender, with Red Bull vague on its reasons for not favouring Tsunoda, who has just completed his fourth in F1, and out-performed both Lawson and Daniel Ricciardo before he was dropped.

There have been doubts about Tsunoda's mentality, feedback, and swearing over the radio, both concerns that were put to him after the Abu Dhabi GP, as he dismissed them.

"Even at 2024 in the first race, I had a bit of a bits and bobs with Daniel and I felt like I was a kid, but I ended up in Abu Dhabi in a completely different mindset," he explained to media including RacingNews365.

"The approach is completely different, and if you talk about pressure, I've had pressure every single race throughout the season, but I was always on the edge of the cliff, and it actually made me stronger. 

"But at the same time, I improved more than any other driver, and I can say that pretty loudly.

"In a test situation, to be fair, it is hard to see my limitations, but thank you for asking about the radio. 

"Please, go through the last 24 races and how many times I shouted, it was maybe just the first race."

"I don't think there is that much they can complain about on the radio and look at other drivers, I've definitely made myself calmer and have focused on what I can do."

Tsunoda's aggressive sales pitch

Tsunoda's trio of seventh places throughout the season in Australia, Miami and Sao Paulo were key to keeping RB in the fight for sixth in the constructors' until the end of the season, as he also played up the strength of his technical feedback in improving the car.

"As I have said throughout the season, I've made a pretty good statement, and it started in Bahrain," he added.

"Everyone probably expected Daniel to be in the Red Bull and I was still able to improve, and obviously some races I could have done better, but at the same time, I was consistent in how I was able to extract performance from the car compared to my team-mates.

"If my feedback is bad, then the team [shouldn't] have been able to improve like this and score as many points, but it's obvious there is still room to improve, I am not a perfect driver yet, I'm not in 100% shape yet, but at the same time, I can prove it."