Although the Championship fight between Verstappen and the McLaren duo takes centre stage this weekend, there are also plenty of eyes on Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda.
The Japanese driver is under pressure to deliver a strong weekend in Mexico, as Red Bull inch closer to a decision on their 2026 line-up.
Thankfully for Tsunoda, he is set to have the same specifications as his teammate in Mexico City. It has been several months since the 25-year-old last had this luxury.
Yuki Tsunoda to receive same specification as Verstappen
During his first few races at Red Bull, (Japan, Bahrain, Jeddah, Miami) Tsunoda showed reasonable pace. The #22 was consistently fighting for points, despite not having any pre-season to acclimatise to the notoriously demanding RB21.
However, things took a turn from the worse after Tsunoda crashed in Imola qualifying. Aside from the incident itself running his Saturday, it destroyed his floor – which could only be replaced by an older specification.
For the next few months, only Max Verstappen ran the RB21’s new floor . His teammate, meanwhile, was forced to drive with an old specification.
Only after the arrival of Laurent Mekies did Red Bull give Tsunoda the same floor as his Dutch counterpart – just before qualifying in Belgium. The impact was instant, as the #22 car went fast enough to start 7th for Sunday’s race.
Since then, however, the Austrian team have brought various floor and front wing updates.
Under Mekies’ leadership, Red Bull have deemed it a worthy use of resources continuing to develop the RB21. This approach is paying off, with Verstappen now within striking range of Championship leader Oscar Piastri.
Unfortunately for Tsunoda, this relentless push for updates has prioritised the reigning Champion. This means that in recent weeks, for example, he has not used the same upgraded front wing as his teammate.
It should be noted that, until now, #22 car has been using a front wing from the beginning of the season – meaning it is several generations older than the latest spec.
Heading into a critical weekend in Mexico, however, as-web.jp reports that 25-year-old will have the same front wing as Verstappen.
This updated specification is understood to be worth up to three tenths a lap, according to a Red Bull source. In the context of this year’s field, such an advantage could be a game-changer for Tsunoda.
Red Bull continue 2025 development race
After Verstappen’s Austin triumph, speculation intensified about the gains Red Bull have made on McLaren. There are still questions about whether the RB21 has a definitive advantage over the MCL39 – or if poor execution has seen the Woking-based team underperform.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella, for example, believes his personnel have not optimised their car since the summer break. Per Stella’s assessment, this applies to his engineers and drivers in equal measure.
As it stands, it is difficult to conclude which package is more competitive overall. What Red Bull are confident about, however, is that the RB21 is fast enough for Verstappen to make the difference.
Crucially, there could be another chapter written in this year’s development race. Helmut Marko has hinted that another upgrade is scheduled to arrive later this year – although he would not disclose when.
Should Red Bull unlock more improvements, Max Verstappen’s title hopes will see an additional boost. Yuki Tsunoda, meanwhile, could look forward to more tools at his disposal as he works to keep his F1 career alive.
Main photo: Hector Vivas/Getty Images (Red Bull content pool)
