Yukiās move against Daniel was not a good look.
Iām honestly surprised at how many people donāt see that the first group of individuals Yuki needs to first impress in his F1 career are those handling it and those who could potentially take him in after this season (i.e., other teams). Unlike a lot of fans, those execs and team principals have long memories and donāt really take into account if anyoneās emotions have been stepped on.
Yuki has every right to be furious at how his own team blatantly compromised him. However, his divebomb against Daniel during the cooldown lap were terrible optics and simply unprofessional. If that move turned out much worse, it wouldāve been embarrassing for Yuki himself and his team. Thatās not even mentioning the work and repair bill that wouldāve been incurred for two, multi-million dollar F1 cars - both of which are covered in their sponsorsā logos and branding.
It also highlights how his growth as a driver is lacking, despite the move to Italy and the professional help they got for him. Oscar gained popularity at how he generally kept his cool even under pressure. If one wants to only compare Yukiās temper in the car during the race in Bahrain with other fellow Asians on the grid, even Yuki is at a disadvantage. Alex has shown he can be a team leader and a team player at Williams, plus everyone knows how supportive he was of Logan, when he (Logan) was having a tough rookie season. Alex was also pretty solid in Bahrain before his (and Loganās) steering wheel malfunctioned and cost them the race. Assuming the camera is pointed at him, which at most times isnāt, Zhou is capable of doing great overtakes and can land within the points, despite the Sauber car also being a tractor.
While others donāt see it yet, Yukiās contract is up after this year, and that means heās truly at the crossroads of his career in F1. Assuming Honda gives in on wanting a Japanese driver, a strong contender for Yukiās seat is Liam - especially after he wowed people by scoring points and beating Yuki in equal machinery right out of the gate, during the time he had to fill in for Daniel last season. If Honda is stubborn in wanting a Japanese driver, they have Ayumu Iwasa from their own driverās program to possibly fill in Yukiās seat after this year.
With Red Bullās management being the type to play musical chairs with their drivers who isnāt Max, itās not outside the realm of possibility that they simply can kick Checo out and put Daniel in there if they feel like it, freeing up both the junior seats for Liam and a possible Iwasa for 2025.
One thing that isnāt lost on me with Daniel going back to his old seat is that heāll be playing the bridesmaid there. He left that seat so he can be the main character of a winning team, but the stars did not align with his moves to Renault and McLaren, and before you know it he was left without a seat. Daniel was fortunate that Christian had a soft spot for him and that they were willing to sacrifice Nyck to get him back. It also helps that Checo is someone who is constantly rumored to get the boot so Daniel can take his place in 2nd RBR seat. By this point, even Daniel realized that if he wants to stay in F1, he will have to settle in being a supporting character in a team clearly built around Max. If he was in that seat, I honestly doubt if Yuki will be able to keep it together while dealing with the pressure of not only keeping up with Max but also getting around and defending from formidable competition in Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes and even Aston Martin.
Assuming Yuki isnāt tossed out by 2025, he likely might not make it in 2026 as Aston Martin will be the next partner of Honda in F1. With Lawrence Stroll running the show over there, Lance will keep his seat (if weāre to assume heās still interested in F1) and the second driver could be a Japanese one if Honda manages to convince Lawrence at this particular point, but it maybe someone like Iwasa and not Yuki. While everyone clowns on Aston for the obvious nepotism, Lawrence knows how to run a tight ship, and he isnāt certainly looking for someone that could potentially inflict harm on his son (who already suffered training injuries before the 2023 season even started) and add to the repair bills of a competitive car.
It kills me to write this; I love the energy Yuki brings to the grid - which is especially needed now, given since we all know that one specific Dutchman will be out in the front for a while. But Yuki really canāt do something like that divebomb again, and not when his own seat is possibly up and eyed for a change of hands.
