Yuki Tsunoda receives « more support than ever » from Red Bull F1 management
Yuki Tsunoda claims to receive « more support than ever » from Red Bull despite its current difficulties.
Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda stated that he is benefiting more than ever from the support of the team leaders, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko, as he is going through a challenging period with the RB21.
Performances still insufficient
After an encouraging start with Red Bull, following his mid-season promotion at the Japan Grand Prix, Yuki Tsunoda’s performances have seen a marked decline. The Austrian Grand Prix last weekend marked his third consecutive result without scoring any points.
At 25, the Japanese driver is now 17th in the drivers’ standings, two places behind Liam Lawson, the driver he replaced at Red Bull after only two races in 2025.
And it’s not just the race results that are concerning: his performance in qualifying is also lacking, with Yuki Tsunoda failing to get past Q1 in the last three rounds.
This situation has led some to label Red Bull a one-driver team, with Max Verstappen having scored 155 of the team’s 162 points at this stage of the season.
But Yuki Tsunoda rejects any idea of favoritism. He claims that Christian Horner and Helmut Marko are making concrete efforts to help him overcome this difficult period.
« I feel a different kind of support, particularly at the moment, and more than ever from Christian and Helmut, » he stated. « At the beginning of the week in the UK, I went to see a physiotherapist at Red Bull Racing to “reset” myself mentally and physically. They were the ones who suggested it. They just wanted me to get some fresh air, to let go. And it really helped me regain a certain rhythm. »
The Japanese also mentioned that the team allowed him to try some unprecedented approaches. “We are going to test some solutions they have already experimented with. They allowed me to do quite a few things they probably wouldn’t let slide in another context,” he explains.
Red Bull supports Yuki Tsunoda
Despite this series of poor results, Red Bull has repeatedly reaffirmed that Yuki Tsunoda will remain in position until the end of the season. A rather rare position for the team, known for its quick and sometimes brutal decisions.
Liam Lawson, for example, only had two races to prove himself before being sidelined. Pierre Gasly experienced a similar fate in the summer of 2019.
When asked about the impact of this job security on his mindset, Yuki Tsunoda replied: « [Marko] and Christian support me enormously. He [Marko] was not present in Austria, but he still wants to help and support me. He still believes in my talent and speed. It’s up to me to prove on the track that I can do it. »
« Helmut is someone very direct. When you have a bad race, he tells you what went wrong, but also what went right. It’s a form of pressure that sometimes pushes me to reach a level I didn’t suspect. That’s how he’s been operating since I was a junior, and I really appreciate the support he gives me today », he concludes.
