With Tsunoda under pressure, Red Bull eyes a stable teammate for Verstappen to boost future constructors’ title hopes.
The question of how long Yuki Tsunoda will survive alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing remains open.
When a seat became available following Sergio Perez’s departure at the end of last year, the Japanese driver was overlooked by the team in favor of Liam Lawson, who had far less experience. Lawson’s performances were so poor that he was dismissed after only two races.
The only real option left for Red Bull was Tsunoda, whose main backer, Honda, is leaving for Aston Martin at the end of the season.
There are signs that the 25-year-old has performed better than Perez or Lawson, but also clear signs that Red Bull cannot return to contention for the Constructors’ Championship without a faster driver in the future.
When asked about Tsunoda’s struggles, Technical Director Pierre Waché said, “We didn’t succeed with Checo, nor with Liam. With Yuki, we are still trying.”
Team advisor Dr. Helmut Marko added, “We need a stable driver, someone who follows his own path and doesn’t try to beat Max. Everyone makes that mistake.”
So will Red Bull recruit elsewhere? Unfortunately, options are few, according to Marko. The Austrian admits to having been impressed by Nico Hülkenberg at Sauber in Barcelona, where he finished fifth.
“When we signed Perez, Hülkenberg was also in the conversations. But then Perez won in Bahrain with Racing Point and everything fell into place. Hülkenberg is now tied to Audi F1 for several years.”
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and Marko have both praised Oscar Piastri, the current championship leader, but the Australian is under contract with McLaren for several years as well.
“Oscar learns very quickly, he’s a natural analyst, but he’s not yet at Max’s level. Tsunoda is often only a tenth of a second behind in free practice, but Max is far ahead in qualifying. We often manage to set up the car well for qualifying and Max adapts immediately. Yuki can’t do the same.”
“Yuki should do more laps, but there simply aren’t more available. We shouldn’t forget that our cars are often disastrous on Fridays too, which doesn’t help him.”
Some believe Isack Hadjar, Red Bull’s latest rookie, is on the verge of being promoted from Racing Bulls to the main team very soon—perhaps even after the summer break. Many, if not most, believe the Frenchman should be left alone to grow at Racing Bulls.
When asked in Barcelona, Horner agreed and called for more time for Tsunoda. Now, Marko is on the same page.
“We’re not thinking about the summer break, we’re thinking about giving Yuki time. He’s reached Q3 and scored points with the Red Bull, so he can do it again.”
