Red Bull star Yuki Tsunoda has revealed that his performances with the F1 team so far this year have not done enough to impress.
The Japanese racer was promoted to Red Bull’s main F1 team after just two races in 2025, when Christian Horner and Helmut Marko decided Liam Lawson was not up to the role of Max Verstappen’s team-mate.
Lawson had been bumped up from the junior team at the end of 2024 when Sergio Perez was dropped, but was quickly demoted back to Racing Bulls where he remains now.
Red Bull’s constant carousel of drivers trying their hand at the infamously tricky second seat has failed to help the team’s championship chances this season.
The Milton Keynes-based squad currently sit down in fourth in the constructors’ standings on 172 points, 165 of which have been earned by Verstappen.
As the reigning champion’s team-mate, Tsunoda has endured 10 tough races and at last weekend’s British GP, crossed the line last out of the drivers who remained in the race, having done the same in Austria the week before.
Yuki Tsunoda is under pressure to improve his performances at Red Bull
Tsunoda on Marko and his F1 expectations
Just one week on from that race in Silverstone and Red Bull has undergone a major change.
Team principal Christian Horner was sacked from his role with immediate effect, and although the team’s future beyond this season remains rocky, it isn’t likely to change Tsunoda’s chances of finishing the year alongside Verstappen.
Speaking to media ahead of the British GP, Tsunoda confirmed that Marko and Red Bull had been supportive, despite his disappointing season so far.
“Yes [Marko has been supportive] rather than him saying probably going [to] switch in two races or whatever, for sure. But like I said, him and Christian are very supportive,” Tsunoda said.
“He was not obviously happy with my race in Austria, but at the same time, he’s still willing to continuously help or support me.
“He still trusts my talent and the speed, so I just have to prove on track that I can do it. Helmut is just a direct guy. Some races if you do bad, he just tells me what was wrong and what was right.
“It’s a kind of pressure that he gives me. Sometimes brings me into the level that I never think about or extracts from me some performance. It’s just the way that he works since when I was a junior, and yeah, I appreciate the amount of support I’m getting so far,” he concluded.
Though Horner may have been dismissed by Red Bull, his replacement Laurent Mekies could be just what Tsunoda needs to turn his luck around.
The Frenchman was Tsunoda’s boss when the 25-year-old enjoyed relative success at Racing Bulls but now that both have been promoted, it could prove an ideal linkup once again when paired with Marko’s management style.
