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Valtteri Bottas has expressed his willingness to join Red Bull Racing, even though he remains connected to Mercedes. The Finnish driver, currently serving as a reserve driver for Mercedes, admitted there has been no contact from Red Bull’s Milton Keynes-based outfit. However, he did not rule out a future move.
Following the Spanish Grand Prix, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner played down rumors of an immediate driver change, reiterating their patience with current recruit Yuki Tsunoda.
Red Bull’s rocky start to 2025
The 2025 Formula 1 season has been unusually turbulent for Red Bull. As the team heads to the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, they sit fourth in the Constructors’ Championship. Max Verstappen, the defending world champion, now trails McLaren’s Oscar Piastri by 49 points in the Drivers’ standings.
Compounding their challenges is the underwhelming performance of Yuki Tsunoda, who was promoted from Racing Bulls after just two races into the season. Despite his early promotion, the Japanese driver has only managed three top-10 finishes on race day.
Bottas sheds light on Red Bull’s internal politics
Speaking on the Beyond The Grid podcast, Bottas acknowledged ongoing speculation and suggested there may be internal resistance within Red Bull preventing his consideration.
It just [got] put down quite quickly because I think there's certain persons, or a person, within the Red Bull organisation that for some reason is not a big fan of mine, Bottas said.
He further questioned Red Bull’s driver development philosophy:
I don't know if they look outside their academy. They have so many drivers, they've got their junior team as well. It's a tough one because it seems like it's not an easy car to drive… I just wonder if that car, to be driven fast, needs a driver with experience.
Red Bull taking its time
Christian Horner remains non-committal about Tsunoda’s future.
I think I’m going to take a leaf out of Flavio [Briatore’s] book and say, ‘I don’t want to answer it’, Horner joked in Barcelona.
Look, it’s early days for Yuki. He’s still settling in… He’s scored points from the pit lane. He’s had a few incidents as well, so he has a long way to go.
Internal talent waiting in the wings
If Tsunoda is replaced for 2026, Red Bull may promote from within. Isack Hadjar has emerged as a standout performer in 2025, while 17-year-old Arvid Lindblad has impressed in Formula Two with two wins and consistent top-10 finishes.
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