The last twelve months have been a rollercoaster of emotion for Yuki Tsunoda, more so away from the track than on it. His performances for the last few years have been solid, cementing himself as a driver worthy of being on the grid.
However, as the 2025 season inched closer, there was no clear indication Red Bull were going to promote him.
It was only a last-minute and frankly unprecedented change of heart at Red Bull – sparked by Liam Lawson’s acute struggles – that saw Tsunoda placed alongside Max Verstappen.
Despite this rocky road to the senior team, the 24-year-old is establishing a strong foundation to cement himself at Milton Keynes.
Helmut Marko: Tsunoda has the correct approach
At first glance, Tsunoda’s first three Grand Prix with Red Bull did not yield any spectacular results.
Two points across three races, whilst teammate Max Verstappen claimed a win and two podiums, hardly seems like adequate output.
With that said, the context behind these results paints a far more encouraging picture.
Tsunoda was unlucky not to finish higher up in Suzuka, with a risky qualifying strategy from Red Bull essentially ruining his chances on Sunday.
His p9 finish in Bahrain was respectable in the context of Verstappen’s P6 result, at a circuit where the RB21 was struggling badly.
An unfortunate incident with Pierre Gasly in Jeddah threw away his best chance for points, with his pace in qualifying and Free Practice suggestion a top 6 finish was on the cards.
Helmut Marko touched upon some of these themes in his assessment of the #22 driver:
“An interim assessment of Yuki Tsunoda in the second car after his first three weekends with Red Bull Racing,” he wrote on Speedweek.
“His speed is right, as is his approach.
“When things get serious in qualifying, he loses time to Max, but the normal range is two or three tenths. Tsunoda goes his own way.
“A crash like the one with Gasly on the first lap of the Saudi Arabian GP can happen. According to our calculations, he could have finished sixth.
“And that’s a huge step forward, because before him, our second car rarely came close to the top ten.”
Red Bull working to make life easier
Looking ahead to the upcoming Grand Prix in Miami and Imola, Red Bull aim to make things easier for Tsunoda.
Primarily, the 24-year-old now has some experience to draw from and inform his approach with the RB21.
This was not the case in Japan, when he was thrown into the deep-end with nothing more than a few simulator sessions.
Red Bull are also optimistic that they have a better understanding of how to put the RB21 in the best operating window.
Combined with upgrades that are on the way, Tsunoda should have something better to work with moving forward.
In some ways, despite Verstappen’s brilliance being enough to fight for victories, Tsunoda has joined Red Bull during one of its most turbulent periods.
He will work to change the narrative, both regarding the performance gap between Red Bull’s drivers and the unfriendly and often demonised characteristics of the RB21.
