Yuki Tsunoda finds himself in an unofficial shootout against Liam Lawson to earn a 2025 Red Bull contract. Sergio Perez’s struggles have given a golden opportunity for the VCARB pairing to earn a promotion. However, Tsunoda’s chances have been damaged in recent weeks – as evidenced by Helmut Marko’s recent comments.
Tsunoda incidents disappoint Red Bull
It would be uncontroversial to say that Tsunoda has performed at a high level in recent seasons. The 24-year-old has managed to establish himself as the benchmark at VCARB, fending off several teammates.
Having shown consistently good pace in Mexico this weekend, the Japanese driver was well-positioned to make a statement in qualifying. Another poor showing from Perez gave Tsunoda a chance to make Q3 and further underscore his credentials as a Red Bull contender.
However, a mistake saw Tsunoda spin and crash out – prompting this scathing response from Helmut Marko:
“He spun in Austin, and now in qualifying he had this crash,” he told Sky Germany.
“We thought he had stabilised. But now, when the pressure comes from Lawson, it’s starting to make itself felt.”
In many ways, Tsunoda seems to be in a unwinnable position. Of course, mistakes like those he committed in qualifying are never going to be received well.
Still, the last two seasons have proven that – regardless of his efforts – he is often overlooked by Red Bull.
Against both De Vries and Ricciardo, Tsunoda’s strong results were seen as evidence that his teammates were underperforming – rather than an indication that Tsunoda is an option in his own right.
Lining up alongside Liam Lawson, the 24-year-old is under significant pressure to assert himself. Even if he outperforms his Kiwi teammate, this might not be enough to convince Red Bull – given Lawson has been abruptly thrown into the deep end.
As ever, the situation at Red Bull is set to evolve.
