New Yuki Tsunoda update as Red Bull hold ‘intensive discussions’

The Red Bull Racing team is currently in the midst of a major personnel change after the surprise firing of Christian Horner — but per team advisor Helmut Marko, those changes do not threaten Yuki Tsunoda’s role.

Marko stated in his latest Speedweek column that Tsunoda and the team have been involved in “intensive discussions” regarding his performance, though there is an understanding that the RB21 is causing major headaches for both drivers.

Marko lays support behind Yuki Tsunoda

The F1 2025 season has been a roller coaster of highs and lows for Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda.

After contesting the first two races of the year behind the wheel of a VCARB, he found himself suddenly promoted to Red Bull Racing proper after the team decided that full-season rookie Liam Lawson in time for his home Grand Prix.

Unfortunately, the move has not been fruitful. In the 10 races he’s contested as a member of the Red Bull Racing team, Tsunoda has only finished in the points three times in a Grand Prix, and twice in the season’s sprint races thus far.

It’s only been good enough for a total of 10 points, which leaves him 17th in the World Drivers’ Championship while teammate Max Verstappen battles for third overall with a whopping 165 points.

Adding insult to injury is the fact that Lawson sits just ahead of Tsunoda in the championship standings, in 16th.

It has raised plenty of questions about the driver’s future with the team, including whether or not he’ll stick it out through the remainder of 2025.

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But Red Bull special advisor Helmut Marko had confirmed that he feels Tsunoda is improving in his latest column for Speedweek.

“Yuki Tsunoda has struggled on some GP weekends,” Marko wrote, “but we have already seen an upward trend in England: the gap to Max was smaller in most free practice sessions than before, and he was able to start from eleventh on the grid in England.”

Marko also pointed to the work that both Tsunoda and the team are doing off the track.

“We had intensive discussions with Yuki, he also works with sports psychologists,” Marko explained.

“Unfortunately, like Max, he had no chance in the race with this wing.

“But we can feel an improvement in his performance and we are optimistic that this will soon be reflected in points.”

The Red Bull drivers struggled throughout the British Grand Prix weekend, with Verstappen complaining of both understeer and oversteer during practice on Friday. The team opted to run a low-downforce set-up in qualifying to great effect; Verstappen was on pole, and Tsunoda qualified 11th.

But during the race itself, that set-up proved immensely difficult to handle thanks to the event’s on-again, off-again rain storms. Tsunoda slipped back to 15th, the final driver to take the checkered flag, while a spin for Verstappen saw him lose out on a potential podium position.

Despite the fact that Red Bull Racing is currently in the midst of a major personnel change with the surprise sacking of former CEO and team principal Christian Horner, Marko seems assured that Tsunoda’s seat is safe for the time being.

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