Jenson Button Suggests Yuki Tsunoda as Potential Replacement for Sergio Perez at Red Bull

Jenson Button, the 2009 Formula 1 World Champion, has expressed his opinion on the current performance of Sergio Perez at Red Bull Racing. Following Perez’s disappointing qualifying performance at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, where he failed to advance beyond Q1 and finished in 16th place, Button suggested that Yuki Tsunoda could be a viable replacement.

Perez’s recent form has been a concern for Red Bull, with the Mexican driver failing to score points in three of the last five Grand Prix, including the recent races in Mexico City and Sao Paulo. Despite starting the season strongly with four podiums in the first five races, Perez’s performance has significantly declined.

Button, speaking to Sky Sports F1, doubted that Red Bull would make any changes to their driver lineup before the end of the season due to contractual obligations. However, he stated that he would ‘love’ to see Yuki Tsunoda, who drives for AlphaTauri, get the opportunity to drive for Red Bull. Tsunoda, although never having finished on a podium, recently secured a top-10 finish at the Sao Paulo GP.

Red Bull’s team principal, Christian Horner, faces a significant financial hurdle if he decides to terminate Perez’s contract early, as Perez is reportedly seeking £16 million to end his contract prematurely. Despite this, Button believes that giving Tsunoda a chance could be beneficial for the team.

However, Red Bull has already confirmed that Tsunoda will remain with AlphaTauri for the 2025 season, having exercised their option on his contract. This decision is partly due to Tsunoda being a Honda-backed driver, which complicates his potential move to Red Bull.