After two strong performances in Brazil and Las Vegas, Yuki Tsunoda has been pestered by questions about his Red Bull chances. However, senior advisor Helmut Marko is among the few who can actually provide insight into Tsunoda’s prospects.
Marko: Tsunoda has speed, but he needs more consistency
Over the last two seasons, Tsunoda has established himself as a strong reference at VCARB.
The Japanese driver enjoyed a significant edge over Nyck de Vries in 2023, before later dispatching of 8-time race winner Daniel Ricciardo.
Despite consistently getting the better of his teammates, Tsunoda is yet to earn a Red Bull promotion.
Speaking to Kleine Zeitung, Helmut Marko has explained why this is the case:
“There will be a meeting on the Monday after Abu Dhabi and that’s when the decisions will be made.
“He has now delivered two very good races in Brazil and Las Vegas. Unfortunately, he made two stupid mistakes in Brazil before that.
“Yuki [Tsunoda] has the speed, but he lacks continuity and stability. But when it works for him, it works very well.”
Red Bull face critical decision
When Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen formed Red Bull’s driver line-up, the Austrian team were unable to promote their young talent.
Perhaps their most notable loss during this period was Carlos Sainz, who made the switch to Renault at the end of 2017.
After the Spaniard’s exit, Red Bull were left in an awkward position – struggling to find a replacement at Toro Rosso.
With Ricciardo leaving the team just twelve months later, a huge driver dilemma was created. In the six years since then, Red Bull have failed to find an adequate replacement for the Australian.
Looking ahead to 2025, Red Bull are also in a position where they risk alienating their drivers.
Yuki Tsunoda can only wait so long for an opportunity, especially in the context of Perez’s extremely poor results.
Christian Horner’s interest in Franco Colapinto is unlikely to inspire confidence in Tsunoda that he is a priority option for the future.
Should the 24-year-old fail to be promoted next year, it seems inevitable he will search for alternatives in the future.
Whilst this might be an acceptable price for Red Bull to pay, their inability to put the right driver alongside Verstappen has already cost them this year’s constructors title.
Time will tell if they make the necessary corrections for next season.
