Max Verstappen moaned about Red Bull teammate Yuki Tsunoda in unheard Singapore Grand Prix radio

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Max Verstappen finished second in Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix, continuing his excellent run of form since the summer break. Meanwhile, teammate Yuki Tsunoda could only manage 12th.

Verstappen has been in the top two in all four races since the summer break, scoring 86 points. While Tsunoda has improved in that period, his contribution only amounts to 10.

Over their 16 races together, Verstappen has now outscored Tsunoda 237-17, a scarcely believable margin. The Japanese driver has only made it to Q3 six times in that sequence, whereas the world champion has maintained a 100% record.

In the latter stages of the race in Singapore, Tsunoda was lapped by Verstappen. It was the sixth time he’d been shown blue flags since joining Red Bull.

Max Verstappen told Red Bull that he needed Yuki Tsunoda ‘out of the way’

When Verstappen encountered Tsunoda, with around eight laps to go, he was in the midst of a long-running battle with Lando Norris. Norris had a tyre offset in his favour, putting the Red Bull driver under significant pressure.

Verstappen complained to his team that Tsunoda needed to get ‘out of the way’ so that he could hang onto second. With overtaking proving very difficult at Marina Bay, traffic offered one of the few real opportunities.

Tsunoda didn’t ignore blue flags, but Verstappen clearly felt the turbulent air was affecting him. When he did slow down, he allowed both drivers through at once rather than holding Norris up, though he had given his teammate the benefit of some DRS.

The radio exchange with Gianpiero Lambiase played out as follows.

Lambiase: “Car ahead [is] Yuki.

Verstappen: “Gap [to Norris], hello?

Verstappen: “I need Yuki out of the way, now!

Lambiase: “We are discussing it, Max.”

Lando Norris’ unusual theory about Yuki Tsunoda at Red Bull

According to one German journalist, Tsunoda won’t be on the 2026 F1 grid at all after a poor showing in Singapore.

Reports have suggested Red Bull will decide on their line-ups during the USA/Mexico double-header, so this was one of Tsunoda’s last chances to impress.

It has already looked like Tsunoda is battling for a Racing Bulls seat, which would represent a step back in his career, due to Isack Hadjar’s impending promotion to Red Bull.

Norris thinks Tsunoda is hurting Verstappen because he isn’t pushing him to raise his level. While the Dutchman doesn’t have to worry about his teammate taking points off him, there’s a total contrast with the title-winning McLaren duo of Norris and Oscar Piastri.