Nico Rosberg spots Yuki Tsunoda change at Red Bull after what he ‘heard’ was his biggest problem under Christian Horner

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Yuki Tsunoda looked reinvigorated at the Belgian Grand Prix after receiving some of Red Bull’s latest upgrades.

The Japanese driver managed seventh in qualifying and was just four tenths behind teammate Max Verstappen. It was by far his best one-lap performance of the Formula 1 season.

After dropping as low as 17th in the drivers’ championship, it would have been easy for Red Bull to give up on the 25-year-old.

However, Tsunoda has continued to plough on and may be about to see the rewards for not giving up. New team principal Laurent Mekies could be a big help compared to the departed Christian Horner.

Tsunoda’s heart was warmed by Mekies after seeing his boss smile at his improvements during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend. He clearly backs his driver.

Fortunately, Red Bull should benefit as Mekies ‘excels’ in one area, which should help his new team move forward.

READ MORE: Red Bull may now be copying ‘very successful’ McLaren idea with Laurent Mekies as Christian Horner model scrapped

Nico Rosberg has ‘heard’ Yuki Tsunoda no longer feels alone at Red Bull as he did under Christian Horner

Mekies is the ‘perfect fit’ for Red Bull and understands drivers very well. It’s an area that he should be able to use to his advantage in the future.

He has nearly 25 years of experience and spent the last two seasons managing the junior Racing Bulls team, as well as forming a good relationship with Tsunoda.

It’s the foundations of that relationship that Nico Rosberg believes is helping Tsunoda to no longer feel alone within the Red Bull setup.

“He has now really empowered Yuki Tsunoda this weekend. He has given him the new upgrade, that he can have the new floor himself as well, not just Verstappen,” he said on Sky Sports F1’s broadcast.

“He gives him a thumbs up and a smile after sessions. After qualifying, they connected as Yuki was driving in. He saw Laurent on the pit wall, giving him a big smile and a thumbs-up. That makes a huge difference to a driver. When suddenly, he sees that he has the support from the team.

“Whereas before, he said, I heard that he felt like he was on a bit of an island on his own, in a team that was for Max Verstappen and they only cared about Max Verstappen. Now, Laurent straight away is also caring about Yuki.”

READ MORE: Laurent Mekies has already done something at Belgian Grand Prix that ‘did not happen’ under Christian Horner

Does Yuki Tsunoda stand a chance of being retained by Red Bull for 2026?

Verstappen has taken one ‘intense’ measure with Mekies and is actively searching for ways to improve Red Bull’s operation.

If they want to compete for both titles in the future, improvement is something that they need to find. Both cars must be scoring points.

And Tsunoda hasn’t done that regularly enough this year, leaving him at risk of a demotion ahead of the 2026 F1 regulations.

Mekies’ arrival might buy him more time to prove himself, but unless the goods arrive soon, he will probably find himself off the grid.