Tsunoda’s F1 Future: Why Red Bull Needs More Time

According to Red Bull Formula 1 executive Laurent Mekies, the squad requires more “unblemished data” to assess Yuki Tsunoda’s showings after another race was impacted by involvement in the midfield skirmish.

Tsunoda sustained floor impairment at the Italian Grand Prix following a collision involving his prior team member, Liam Lawson, resulting in the Japanese racer’s inability to secure points even as his team associate, Max Verstappen, claimed victory from pole position.

The weekend may not have significantly enhanced Tsunoda’s prospects of salvaging his Red Bull tenure; however, there exists a mutual sense of disappointment between Tsunoda and the team. The chaotic midfield dynamics hinder his capacity to fully demonstrate his skills.

Having progressed to Q3 subsequent to being within a margin of two-tenths of a second from Verstappen in Q1 and Q2, Tsunoda could not achieve an ideal lap in Q3, positioning him in 10th place on the grid. While Verstappen maintained the lead following a brief contention with Lando Norris, Tsunoda found himself entangled in a midfield skirmish that limited his access to unobstructed racing conditions, rendering him susceptible to potential incidents.

This holds particular significance, given that, in contrast to certain predecessors in Red Bull’s often-problematic second seat, team leader Mekies considers Tsunoda needing additional refinement in race conditions relative to qualifying pace. Monza presented yet another squandered opportunity for the 25-year-old to establish any progress in that dimension.

“[We require] unblemished data, as today offered inadequate insights,” Mekies stated. “As you know, races at the forefront are usually very clean, affording a satisfactory stint to assess performance. Here, extracting any conclusive data from today is a challenge. The opening stint was impacted by traffic, and the subsequent stint compromised by vehicle impairment. Observing the recent races, a similar pattern emerges.”

“I believe it’s fair to suggest that we potentially need to invest more effort in Yuki’s race pace than in his qualifying pace. However, that’s also a factor influencing our decision to allocate additional time.”

Laurent Mekies with Isack Hadjar

Photo by: Mark Thompson – Getty Images

That period concludes at the close of October, during which Mekies and Helmut Marko aspire to finalize their driver lineups across both Red Bull and Racing Bulls for the upcoming 2026 season. The prevailing inclination remains towards an elevation for Hadjar within Red Bull, alongside an F1 inaugural season at Racing Bulls for developmental driver Arvid Lindblad.

Comparisons between the two Red Bull-affiliated teams have been complicated by the contrasting characteristics of the demanding Red Bull RB21 in contrast to the more adaptable VCARB 02. As such, Tsunoda’s objective is to simply reduce the gap between himself and Verstappen in both qualifying and racing scenarios.

“Qualifying pace and race pace are the key metrics we monitor; it’s straightforward,” Mekies commented. “Yuki’s race presents challenges in interpretation due to the traffic in the initial stint and the impairment sustained in the subsequent stint. Nevertheless, assessing the qualifying performance, I would characterize it as a positive weekend.”

“He was within two-tenths of a second from Max in Q1, and Max was performing exceptionally well this weekend. With a minor disadvantage in the car, he remained within two-tenths of a second from Max in Q2, underscoring that all participants are pushing to their maximum capacity during Q2.”

“While the disparity was more pronounced in Q3, firstly, he secured a place in Q3, which is commendable. Secondly, he was the initial car on the track in Q3, which introduced certain disadvantages. I consider Yuki’s short-run pace to be a valuable insight; however, the inability to have a clean race day is disheartening.”

Mekies noted that Tsunoda was utilizing an older floor specification, while Verstappen was equipped with the latest iteration. The expectation is that both drivers will have parity in the upcoming Azerbaijan race. However, Mekies emphasized that the floor modification did not revolutionize Red Bull’s performance. Their unexpectedly robust performance at Monza was more attributable to an overhaul of their setup strategy rather than the new components’ advantage.

“We implemented a floor upgrade exclusively on Max’s vehicle,” he added. “It’s a marginal refinement, not amounting to several tenths of a second, but all elements contribute. We believe it constitutes a minor stride in the correct direction, and we anticipate equipping both vehicles with it for the next race.”