Juan Pablo Montoya says Red Bull ‘politics’ could save Yuki Tsunoda as he fights Liam Lawson for a seat

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Red Bull continues to delay the decision regarding Yuki Tsunoda’s future in Formula 1, and Juan Pablo Montoya thinks it has something to do with the internal politics at the Austrian constructor.

As soon as Yuki Tsunoda was announced to be replacing Liam Lawson at Red Bull after just two rounds were chalked off on the F1 calendar, it was clear that he would be facing a make-or-break scenario come the end of the season.

Lawson wasn’t given enough time to show what he can do, whereas the Japanese driver has now had 19 races to show what he can do in front-running machinery.

Amid his difficulties with the established philosophy that the Milton Keynes-based constructor have continued with since the start of the current regulations in 2022, Red Bull admitted that Tsunoda wasn’t being given the same tools as his high-flying teammate, Max Verstappen.

He has shown glimpses of getting a handle on things in recent races, but the consistency still isn’t there.

Paired with Isack Hadjar’s excellent showing during his rookie season with Racing Bulls, the 25-year-old could very well see himself back at the Faenza-based team, or even worse: off the grid entirely.

READ MORE: Red Bull bosses have already chosen the 2026 Racing Bulls line-up ‘behind closed doors’

Juan Pablo Montoya details the ‘politics’ in Red Bull that could save Yuki Tsunoda’s Formula 1 seat

Speaking on a recent episode of the MontoyAS podcast, Juan Pablo Montoya was asked for his assessment of Tsunoda’s chances to remain with Red Bull into F1’s new era of regulations in 2026.

The former F1 driver highlighted the current dynamic within the Red Bull stable, hinting at some potential politics that may play a part in the team’s final decision.

He said, “I think there is a small chance because of politics and I don’t want to talk about it here, but it’s not so black and white because if I put it to you like this: if Helmut made the decisions, I would say that 90% he would be out.

“But right now things have changed a bit; they are a little more political. Red Bull Austria, it seems to me, wants to have a little more control of what is happening in the team.

“So now, how the decisions are made and the things that happen are going to change a bit, especially because there are three seats.

“[Arvid] Lindblad goes up for sure; it’s whether Yuki leaves or whether Liam Lawson leaves. Theoretically, that is the plan.”

Montoya’s interest in the politics within the former world championship-winning team comes after Honda President Koji Watanabe revealed that he intended to speak to Red Bull regarding Tsunoda’s position with them.

Honda’s partnership with Red Bull was an integral part of their success in recent years. However, the Austrian constructor are building their very own engines next season, rendering the partnership completely redundant.

READ MORE: Liam Lawson has now thrown a ‘spanner in the works’ over Red Bull’s 2026 driver line-up decision

Juan Pablo Montoya thinks it would be illogical to replace Yuki Tsunoda at Red Bull for next season

Continuing on the topic of Tsunoda’s future, Montoya explained why he feels like another driver move for Red Bull would be illogical, saying, “If you look, Yuki has done a good job compared to what Lawson could have done and what everyone in that Red Bull car has done until now.

“So the work Yuki is doing is not ideal, but he has improved. So, if they give Yuki one more year, I think Yuki will be able to start aligning things.

“So it wouldn’t be so logical to take him out. And Lawson and Hadjar are finishing in the points, both of them.”

Asked if it makes more sense to drop one of the Racing Bulls drivers instead of Tsunoda to make room for Marko’s personal pick, Arvid Lindblad, Montoya replied, “Where Helmut doesn’t have 100% control of the decisions, everything is not so clear.

“If you look at it from the outside, if you take Helmut out of there and look at the results of the four drivers they have for three seats, they deserve to continue. So the problem is that there is a lot of politics and everything.

“On one hand, I think Yuki still has very strong political ties within Red Bull that can keep him there, and on the other hand, everyone still has a bit of a chance there. If they were to take someone out, the most probable would be Yuki.”