When Yuki Tsunoda first made the step up to Red Bull, he showed some encouraging signs of pace
A poor strategy from Red Bull in Japan qualifying prevented him from making Q3 and competing for points – but his speed (in the context of having spent no time in the car) was solid.
He scored points at the next race in Bahrain, finishing 9th in a race where Max Verstappen could only manage P6.
Tsunoda made Q3 again in Jeddah, with a first-lap incident preventing him from adding to his point total.
Still, these opening rounds were promising for both driver and team.
Of course, things have become more difficult for the Japanese driver in recent weeks – but Helmut Marko insists there are mitigating circumstances.
Tsunoda still has Red Bull’s confidence, says Helmut Marko
Max Verstappen’s criticisms of the RB21 are well established, and were particularly prominent at the start of 2025.
The car’s limitations prompted Red Bull to bring updates almost immediately, in a bid to try and reduce their deficit to McLaren.
These upgrades have seen some success, with Verstappen finishing ahead of Piastri and Norris on pure performance at Imola.
Although McLaren’s advantage is still notable, the Austrian team are close enough to put them under pressure.
Unfortunately for Tsunoda, his crash in Imola had far-reaching consequences.
Aside from severely limiting his chances on Sunday (recovering from the pit-lane to finish P10), his latest upgrades were broken.
Helmut Marko explains that, due to logistical reasons, Red Bull haven’t had any time to give Tsunoda the RB21’s latest specification:
“Another aspect not to be overlooked, is that our cars are often a disaster on Friday,” it.motorsport quotes him as saying.
“And then we manage to fix them before qualifying – some rather significant setup changes are necessary.
“Max adapts immediately, while Yuki would need a few laps to gain confidence. But if you’re already in qualifying, there’s no time to adapt.
“It must be said that in Barcelona, he did not have the same technical specifications on his RB21. Due to his bad accident in Imola.”
Tsunoda’s crash, which came at the beginning of a triple-header, could not have come at a worse time.
Helmut Marko reveals the 24-year-old has been losing critical performance whilst running old parts:
“Only in terms of the car, Yuki was penalised by two or three tenths.”
Reasons for optimism
Of course, none of these mitigating factors can undo the results of the last few weeks.
Tsunoda, who was unlucky to miss out on big points in Australia and China, is sitting far lower in the Championship than he would like.
The Spanish GP was also a reminder (in the case of Sauber and Nico Hulkenberg) that any midfield team can give the front-runners a headache in the right conditions.
Still, this does not mean that Tsunoda’s results are representative of his abilities – or potential moving forward.
Since the second half of 2022, when he began matching more experienced teammate Pierre Gasly, Tsunoda has delivered at a consistently high level.
He has established himself as someone that can deliver strong performances consistently.
The 24-year-old’s recent performances at Red Bull certainly must be improved. With that said, even in difficult circumstances, he has shown flashes of genuine speed.
Provided he receives the RB21’s new floor specification in Canada, Tsunoda should have a chance to rectify his form.
Main photo: Mark Thompson/Getty Images (via Red Bull content pool)
