Red Bull staff have privately noticed one brilliant change in Yuki Tsunoda since Christian Horner’s exit

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Since the British Grand Prix and the fallout from Christian Horner leaving Red Bull, almost all of the discussion has been around Max Verstappen.

At the halfway stage of the season, Max Verstappen is 69 points behind drivers’ championship leader Oscar Piastri.

It means his chances of winning five championships on the bounce have all but faded, while Red Bull are nearly 300 points behind McLaren in the team standings.

Christian Horner ultimately paid the price for the team’s performance, and Laurent Mekies has been named as Red Bull’s new team principal.

However, the fate of Yuki Tsunoda has been largely overlooked in the aftermath of Horner’s exit, with many concentrating on Verstappen’s potential move to Mercedes.

Tsunoda has averaged less than a point per race weekend since his promotion from Racing Bulls at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Jacques Villeneuve has questioned whether Tsunoda will see out the season, but staff behind the scenes at the Milton Keynes-based team have already noticed a difference in the Japanese driver since Horner’s exit.

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Honda look set to block mid-season Yuki Tsunoda exit from Red Bull

Journalist Matt Majendie is spending the 2025 F1 season embedded in the Red Bull team and reporting on what’s going behind the scenes on The Inside Track Podcast.

Speaking ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, he said: “You’ve got to think about the number two driver there as well in Yuki Tsunoda.

“Almost from the moment he took over from Liam Lawson, [it was] how long would he stay there if he didn’t show his worth, and he really has struggled.

“He’s had some difficult races; things haven’t happened as they’d hoped. The team’s ambition was for him to consistently be on the points, not necessarily to be at Max’s level, because he’s the greatest driver on the grid currently, but to be able to score points consistently, and that hasn’t happened.

“Some people are saying he’s going to be sacked during this season and someone will replace him, or they’ll be sacked at the end of the year.

“Now, I don’t see an in-season sacking happening remotely. Honda, the engine supplier, were heavily involved in Yuki coming across. And the Honda boss has had reassurances from the team that Yuki will be there for the duration of the season.

“The question in 2026 is another matter, and he’s got a lot of races still to prove himself.”

Honda will join Aston Martin as their exclusive power unit supplier from next season, raising further questions about Tsunoda’s future.

Considering Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll are already signed up for 2026, it doesn’t give Tsunoda much hope that if Red Bull do decide against extending his contract that he’ll be able to secure a race seat with the Silverstone-based team.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links

Yuki Tsunoda physically and mentally ‘feeling good’ ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix

Majendie then spoke about Tsunoda’s preparation for the race at Spa, and divulged what sources within the team had said about his mental and physical state.

He continued: “Yuki, I know he’s been away in Majorca since Silverstone for part of it as well.

“Not exactly a holiday and taking it easy, but actually working very hard. I’ve heard from the team that he’s fighting fit, physically feeling good, mentally feeling good, because I think that confidence has taken a dent with a couple of tricky races there.

“He is a quick driver. He showed at Racing Bulls what he was able to do. He was a strong leader there, but he really does need a chance to show that.

“Also, he hasn’t had quite the upgrades of Max on the car. I believe there’s a new front wing coming on Yuki’s car for this race, and there are other changes coming.”

Helmut Marko noticed Tsunoda looking stronger at the start of the season, but it hasn’t helped him deliver better results.

Tsunoda finished on the podium at Spa in the Euroformula Open Championship, Formula 3 and won the Formula 2 Feature Race there in 2020.

However, in four visits during his F1 career, he’s only scored a single point, and he must add to that tally this weekend.