Le Mans class winner Richard Bradley anticipates significant changes in the Formula 1 driver lineup, with Yuki Tsunoda potentially replacing Lance Stroll at Aston Martin as early as the 2024 season. Bradley also suggests that Zhou Guanyu may be on Williams’ radar.

Several high-profile F1 drivers, including Tsunoda and Zhou, along with Lewis Hamilton, Logan Sargeant, and Daniel Ricciardo, are set to be out of contract at the end of the 2023 F1 season, adding to the intrigue of the ongoing ‘silly season’ as the grid for the 2024 season takes shape.

In 2024, Red Bull’s junior team is poised for a major transformation as they drop the AlphaTauri name. However, the question remains whether Tsunoda will continue with the Faenza squad for a fourth season.

Richard Bradley, a Le Mans LMP2 class winner in 2015, believes Tsunoda is on a path to join Aston Martin, a team that will be powered by Honda engines from 2026. Honda currently supplies engines to Red Bull and AlphaTauri, which facilitated Tsunoda’s entry into F1.

Bradley does not expect Tsunoda’s move to Aston Martin to be delayed until 2026; he predicts it will happen as early as the 2025 season, with Tsunoda replacing Lance Stroll, who has struggled to match the performance of his two-time World Champion teammate, Fernando Alonso, in 2023.

Fernando Alonso has secured seven podium finishes in the 2023 F1 season, while Stroll has yet to achieve a podium, accumulating only 47 points compared to Alonso’s 168.

Bradley stated, “I think he will be a very strong contender for the Aston Martin seat.” When asked if this would mean replacing Stroll, Bradley responded, “Yes, because remember, Honda is going to supply Aston Martin’s engines, and he’s obviously an HRC [Honda Racing Corporation] driver, so it just makes logical sense. And we’ve already heard the rumors that there are discussions ongoing. I think that will happen maybe if it’s not next year, 100 percent the year after.”

However, Tsunoda might opt to remain at AlphaTauri, especially if a Red Bull seat becomes available in 2025 should the team not extend Sergio Perez’s contract. Bradley believes that Tsunoda is making a strong case for himself to earn that promotion, even if it goes against his earlier predictions.

Bradley remarked, “I mean, the guy is performing, the guy is doing really well. Okay, he didn’t have the best end result, but he was doing a really good job in Zandvoort. He’s been doing very well lately; in Spa, he was doing very well in what is the worst car on the grid. He’s making a good case for himself.”