Why Red Bull staff were ‘very pleased’ with Yuki Tsunoda despite his ‘terrible’ Singapore Grand Prix

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Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda will be feeling the pressure after another difficult race at the Singapore Grand Prix.

The Marina Bay Street Circuit once again proved to be difficult to overtake on, making qualifying even more important for Yuki Tsunoda as he fights for his Red Bull Racing future.

However, the Japanese driver was eliminated in Q2, but wasn’t even on the bubble of reaching the top 10 shootout, finishing the session with the slowest time.

Things went from bad to worse for Tsunoda, as an awful first lap saw him sink to 18th, making his job of trying to help Red Bull in the constructors’ championship by scoring points virtually impossible.

Sam Bird warned Tsunoda he’d be lucky to keep his seat until the end of the season, although Red Bull don’t appear to be in any rush to drop him.

However, his future beyond the end of the year is extremely uncertain, with Isack Hadjar’s chances of replacing Tsunoda increasing with every race.

Team principal Laurent Mekies has been patient with Tsunoda, and since Christian Horner’s exit, made an effort wherever possible to give him the same machinery as Max Verstappen.

That didn’t happen at the Singapore Grand Prix, with Verstappen running a new front wing at the weekend, but journalist Matt Majendie has explained why Red Bull were still pleased with Tsunoda, despite another pointless outing.

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Red Bull ‘very pleased’ with Yuki Tsunoda despite P12 finish at the Singapore Grand Prix

Majendie was asked about Tsunoda’s performance in Singapore and his future on The Inside Track Podcast, and he explained: “So it’s interesting because I see that it will be Isack Hadjar’s seat. That’s the way it’s been going for some time, and that looks more and more inevitable.

“He had an absolutely terrible start, but his pace was actually very good in the race. That’s what their frustration was.

“So, they were very pleased with how quick he was in the race, but you can’t be finishing P12 when your teammate is finishing a lap ahead of you.

“He was the slowest car in Q2, and that’s in a good Red Bull that’s performing well at that circuit. That’s not great.

“I think if you just look at the statistics and the numbers to qualify where he did, the race place where he finishes, despite showing good pace in the race, that’s not enough.

“His job is to consistently score points, and he’s just not doing that.”

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Laurent Mekies reacts to Yuki Tsunoda finishing outside the points at the Singapore Grand Prix

Mekies has worked with Tsunoda in the past at Racing Bulls and knows his strengths and weaknesses.

However, he’s unlikely to have the final say on whether the 25-year-old is retained within the Red Bull family beyond 2025, with Helmut Marko likely to have more responsibility in that department.

Reacting in his official post-race media session to Tsunoda’s weekend, Mekies said: “Yuki had a difficult day; he really suffered on the first lap and dropped back, but from that point on, he did a very decent job, worked hard to get back through the order and nearly had a shot at the points.

“It had not been a good Saturday for him, but he is working incredibly hard, and we will continue to work with him to improve together.”

Tsunoda’s chances of staying on the grid in 2026 appear to be fading, with his only hope arriving in the form of Red Bull deciding not to promote Arvid Lindblad from F2.

That could happen, with the British teenager struggling in recent weeks, although the performances of the likes of Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman this year have shown how hard it is to judge young drivers in that series.