Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda Under Fire: Struggles Continue Despite Potential
Red Bull’s young driver, Yuki Tsunoda, is facing mounting pressure as he fails to meet the team’s high expectations. Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s motorsport advisor, has expressed disappointment in Tsunoda’s performance, highlighting that the Japanese driver has not been able to translate his speed into significant points for the team.
Since replacing Liam Lawson early in the F1 2025 season, Tsunoda has shown flashes of talent, including breaking into Q2 at the Japanese Grand Prix and securing points with a P9 finish in Bahrain. However, his recent struggles in qualifying, with consecutive P20 finishes in Imola and Spain, have raised concerns about his ability to keep up with teammate Max Verstappen.
With Verstappen carrying the majority of the team’s points, Red Bull has slipped to fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship, trailing over 200 points behind McLaren. Marko acknowledges Tsunoda’s challenges but remains hopeful that the young driver can improve and start racking up points for the team.
Speculation has arisen about Tsunoda’s future at Red Bull, with rumors suggesting that Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar could replace him before the end of the season. Despite the uncertainty, Marko is standing by Tsunoda, emphasizing his talent and potential to achieve podium finishes in the future.
Tsunoda is not the first Red Bull driver to struggle alongside Verstappen, with Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez, and Lawson all facing similar difficulties. Albon attributes these challenges to the demanding nature of the Red Bull cars, which require a specific driving style to extract their full performance.
As Tsunoda navigates through a challenging period in his F1 career, all eyes are on the young driver to see if he can overcome his setbacks and deliver the results expected of him at Red Bull.