Yuki Tsunoda hints Red Bull ‘didn’t recognise’ the real reason for his poor results

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Yuki Tsunoda has struck an optimistic tone after returning from the summer break. He believes his recent performances haven’t been quite as weak as the results suggest.

Tsunoda didn’t score in either leg of the double-header before the summer break. He was 11th in the Belgium Sprint, and 13th in the main Grand Prix.

Red Bull apologised to Tsunoda after the race at Spa, acknowledging that they’d made a strategic error in changeable conditions. He’d reached Q3 on the Saturday in a rare boost.

But that preceded a P17 in Budapest immediately before the season paused. It was his worst position of the year so far, intensifying the external speculation over his Red Bull future as he approaches the end of his contract.

Yuki Tsunoda says Red Bull underestimated the value of Max Verstappen’s upgrades

Speaking to outlets including Motorsport.com at the Dutch Grand Prix, Tsunoda defended his record. While he accepts that he needs to start scoring points, he says there’s an important caveat.

Tsunoda had to revert to an older specification after a heavy crash in qualifying at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. After a run of four points finishes in five starts, he’s endured a prolonged drought.

The Japanese driver believes his team have underestimated how much time this was costing him relative to Max Verstappen. Laurent Mekies has given Tsunoda greater access to new parts after taking over Christian Horner.

While he was only 17th in Hungary, Verstappen’s P9 finish highlighted the depth of Red Bull’s problems. He was less than two-tenths slower than the Dutchman during Q1.

“I mean I definitely have to show more, but actually the last two races before summer break helped a little bit,” he said. “Probably [the team] didn’t recognise the difference between me and Max in terms of the package.

“As soon as I [got the newer floor] my pace suddenly improved. In Hungary, the difference between me and Max was very small, since practice, and that shows that actually, ‘Hold on, maybe there’s some potential’.

“I think I just keep what I’m doing, but also at the same time, I still have to put it all together throughout the weekend. You can’t just rely on the pace; I need to score points.”

Yuki Tsunoda is down to one alternative if he loses his Red Bull seat

Recent reports about Tsunoda’s future vary. F1TV’s Lawrence Barretto believes Red Bull could maintain their driver line-up and keep Arvid Lindblad in F2 for another year.

However, it’s claimed elsewhere that Isack Hadjar is the frontrunner to partner Verstappen. Hadjar has been widely labelled the standout rookie on the 2025 grid.

While Tsunoda still has time to earn an extension, it’s only sensible to make contingency plans. That’s why his agent spoke to Cadillac, who have just signed Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas.

Tsunoda is under consideration at Alpine, so there is another alternative. But Tsunoda must know in the back of his mind that his place on the 2026 grid isn’t guaranteed.