Yuki Tsunoda’s performance at the Austrian Grand Prix was the perfect summation of his time at Red Bull Racing and the struggles every second driver has faced over the years with the team.

Max Verstappen has been instrumental to any success Red Bull have enjoyed since his winning debut at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix.

He’s won the drivers’ championship on four occasions and is chasing a fifth consecutive title this year.

However, his hopes of matching the feat only previously achieved by Michael Schumacher are slowly fading away, with his retirement from the Austrian Grand Prix another critical blow.

It meant that at Red Bull’s home race, all eyes were on Verstappen’s teammate Yuki Tsunoda.

The 25-year-old has only scored seven points since his promotion from Racing Bulls and was eliminated yet again in the first period of qualifying, despite only being two-tenths slower than his teammate.

Tsunoda is coming under increasing pressure, and while he’s not expected to lose his race seat immediately, his long-term future in Formula 1 is looking far less certain.

Photo by Guenther Iby/SEPA.Media /Getty Images

Yuki Tsunoda’s long wait in his Red Bull after the Austrian Grand Prix was reminiscent of Daniel Ricciardo

Tsunoda started the race in 18th and, after avoiding the opening lap chaos that saw Verstappen eliminated, he slowly tried to make his way through the pack.

That included bumping into Lance Stroll, where he avoided a penalty, and then spinning Alpine newbie Franco Colapinto.

The stewards handed Tsunoda a 10-second time penalty on top of the new front wing he needed, and he was the only driver to finish two laps down at the end of the race.

Speaking on the team radio after taking the chequered flag, all Tsunoda could say to his race engineer was: “I’m sorry.”

In response, Richard Wood, his race engineer, said: Yep, not a day to remember. Pick up on the way in, please, pick up on the way in.”

Tsunoda was then spotted spending more than 40 seconds in his car once he reached parc ferme in the pit lane at the Red Bull Ring before getting out.

Daniel Ricciardo sat in his car for a long time at last year’s Singapore Grand Prix before deciding to get out and face his impending exit from the sport.

He then had to take part in a barrage of media interviews after the race, with everyone knowing he was about to lose his seat, even if Red Bull hadn’t announced it.

Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images

Sergio Perez responds to Yuki Tsunoda’s struggles at Red Bull

Tsunoda indirectly replaced Sergio Perez at Red Bull with Liam Lawson’s brief two-race interlude, splitting the drivers.

Perez finished nearly 300 points behind Verstappen in the drivers’ championship last season, and the new contract he signed halfway through the campaign did little to quieten the rumours surrounding his future.

He eventually lost his seat heading into 2025 at the beginning of the winter break, and Tsunoda could suffer the same fate at the end of this season unless things improve quickly.

Perez has questioned the lack of noise surrounding Tsunoda’s future, but there may be a simple explanation.

Red Bull have simply exhausted all of their options to replace the Japanese driver.

Isack Hadjar is Red Bull’s favoured candidate to partner Verstappen in 2026, but it’s far too early to promote the French rookie.

However, Daniel Ricciardo and Perez can both tell Tsunoda exactly how a driver’s time with Red Bull comes to an end, and while the Japanese driver is expected to carry on at the British Grand Prix, his self-reflection suggests he knows things need to change quickly.