£1.5m-a-year driver told he’s ‘jeopardised’ his career by switching F1 teams for the 2025 season

Follow us on Google Discover

The British Grand Prix was a chaotic affair for the majority of the Formula 1 grid, but a miserable day for Red Bull.

Max Verstappen spun after a safety car period and threw away a podium position, which confirms that he is practically out of the drivers’ championship fight only halfway through the campaign.

Red Bull would be better served by turning their attention to the 2026 F1 regulations, with some of the biggest changes in the sport’s history set to arrive.

And they have a massive decision to make about who they put in their second seat, with Yuki Tsunoda having struggled in 2025.

Tsunoda set an unwanted 20-year Red Bull record by finishing in last place for the second consecutive race at Silverstone. It has been a miserable time.

And Silverstone exposed one ‘killer’ Red Bull problem that the team won’t like to hear about either, with a dramatic understeer problem to solve.

READ MORE: Yuki Tsunoda may play accidental role in activating Max Verstappen’s Red Bull exit clause amid Mercedes links

Yuki Tsunoda has ‘jeopardised’ his F1 career by moving to Red Bull in 2025

Halfway through the Formula 1 season, Tsunoda has scored as many points (10) for Red Bull as he has attended races for them.

It’s not a good look for a driver who has an ‘almost 0% chance’ of staying on the grid beyond Abu Dhabi at the end of the campaign.

Red Bull witnessed something alarming in Tsunoda’s telemetry and spotted that their 17-year-old academy driver, Arvid Lindblad, was delivering a similar pace to their second driver. It doesn’t sound promising.

And journalist Ralf Bach has delivered a strong assessment of the Japanese driver’s future, believing that he has ‘jeopardised’ himself.

“I wanted to say that even before his Red Bull days, Tsunoda was praised as a candidate for Red Bull, partly because he was seen as a very, very good Formula 1 driver who would get a handle on it,” he said.

“So, now you can say Tsunoda isn’t that good or Verstappen is really so good that Tsunoda will be dismantled by him. Everyone should decide for themselves. In any case, his career is rather jeopardised by the switch to Red Bull and the results we’re seeing now.”

READ MORE: Jolyon Palmer says Red Bull staff have been left ‘bamboozled’ by something they’ve seen in Yuki Tsunoda’s data

Why Yuki Tsunoda will find it hard to find a Formula 1 drive in 2026

With Red Bull keen to promote the young and promising Lindblad in the future, one of three drivers must miss out in 2026 – Isack Hadjar, Liam Lawson and Tsunoda.

The one with the fewest points, despite spending 10 races in a car which has taken two victories this season, is Tsunoda.

He’s a Honda-backed driver, and with Red Bull’s partnership with them ending this year, it’s logical for them and their driver to step away.

They have signed a deal with Aston Martin, but Tsunoda hasn’t impressed enough to earn a gig there. Would he really beat out a George Russell or even Lance Stroll to be next to Fernando Alonso?

It’s unlikely, which leaves him looking at one seat at Alpine or a berth at Cadillac, who are chasing experience which can be available to them as they prepare this year. Tsunoda’s prospects do not look rosy.