Laurent Mekies’ latest Yuki Tsunoda comments suggest his Red Bull future is in serious doubt

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Yuki Tsunoda would have been buoyed by the arrival of Laurent Mekies at Red Bull.

Laurent Mekies worked closely with Yuki Tsunoda during his time as team principal of Racing Bulls.

Tsunoda never had the full support of Christian Horner, with Red Bull’s previous team principal initially opting to promote Liam Lawson when Sergio Perez was let go at the end of last season.

Red Bull preferred Max Verstappen whenever they introduced a new update, and even denied Tsunoda similar parts just in case the Dutchman needed spares.

There’s been a suggestion that Tsunoda and Verstappen still don’t have parity, but at the most recent races, the Japanese driver has at least had a closer set-up to the four-time world champion.

Helmut Marko is aiming to promote Arvid Lindblad into Formula 1 in 2026, with Tsunoda seemingly the driver most at risk of being dropped.

Speaking after the final practice session at the Dutch Grand Prix, Mekies’ comments on the 25-year-old’s future might not fill the driver with confidence about earning a contract renewal.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda’s life outside F1 from height to parents

Laurent Mekies admits Yuki Tsunoda looks ‘refreshed’ but gives no certainties over his Red Bull future

Mekies was asked on Sky Sports F1 (30/8 11:44 am) what Tsunoda has to do to keep his seat at Red Bull beyond 2025, and he said: “We take it race by race. It was a step forward in Spa. Budapest, it being our worst weekend, it was still very, very close the gap to Max.

“He was a tenth and a half away from Max in qualifying, and normally, if you are a tenth and a half away from Max, it’s probably going to give you a front row, but in Budapest, it meant being kicked out in Q1.

“Here, he’s three to four tenths away from Max, so let’s see. He’s progressing step by step.

“We are not in a rush; we have 10 races to go. We try to do the best we can to support our drivers, and we certainly see some refreshed approach with Yuki, and we try to support his progress.”

While Tsunoda might be ‘refreshed’, he needs results to give himself a chance of being handed a new contract.

The fact that Mekies is acknowledging Tsunoda’s progress without giving him a firm target to hit before the end of the campaign makes it hard for the 25-year-old to know exactly what he needs to do to be on the grid next year.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Red Bull team principal and CEO Laurent Mekies

Laurent Mekies says Red Bull’s development of their 2025 F1 car has stopped

It was then put to Mekies by Naomi Schiff that Red Bull have stopped developing this year’s car, so what can be done to help the Japanese driver?

The Red Bull team boss explained: “You are right in saying that in terms of pure development, this team, as most teams have in the pit lane, has moved onto 2026.

“This is true that the focus is going to move there, however, it is key for us to use these 10 remaining races to learn what we can learn on why this season hasn’t gone the way it was supposed to go.

“There are still many, many things, especially when you are in a situation where you are not where you want to be, that you can use the race weekends to try and experiment.

“That applies to the team, that applies to the drivers, and that’s the work we are doing with both.”

If Tsunoda’s feedback on this year’s car is effective enough in terms of guiding their development going into next season, then it might make sense for Red Bull to retain him.

However, he may end up simply helping build a new car for Isack Hadjar, who is the frontrunner to step up to Red Bull alongside Verstappen next season.