Yuki Tsunoda ‘judgment’ already made at Red Bull with paddock feelings all expecting one 2026 outcome

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Red Bull Racing driver Yuki Tsunoda crossed the finish line at the Mexico City Grand Prix 79 seconds behind race winner Lando Norris.

Lando Norris produced the race of his life and was more than half a minute ahead of Charles Leclerc and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.

The rest of the field slowly filtered past the chequered flag, with the last driver to stop pushing was Yuki Tsunoda.

Tsunoda was the final driver to cross the line despite finishing 11th, with those behind him already lapped by Norris.

However, all the 25-year-old could see was the back of Gabriel Bortoleto’s rear wing in the distance, after the Sauber driver grabbed the final point at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Tsunoda is under increasing pressure at Red Bull, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season.

Jamie Chadwick suggested Tsunoda’s relationship with Red Bull is ‘broken’ following a very difficult spell with the team this season after his promotion from Racing Bulls.

Tsunoda was beaten by Arvid Lindblad in FP1 in Mexico, and while their times shouldn’t be directly compared as they were on different race plans, it was another blow that he likely couldn’t afford.

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Yuki Tsunoda judgment by Red Bull has ‘already been made’ with F1 future hanging in the balance

Journalist Andrew Benson was speaking on the Chequered Flag Podcast after the Mexico City Grand Prix with commentator Harry Benjamin.

Benjamin admitted it could have been a judgment weekend for Tsunoda, and Benson said: “I think the judgment has already been made, Harry, probably.

“Just on Tsunoda, it’s exactly the sort of race that will show why he’s going to get dropped by Red Bull.

“He was ahead of Piastri on the first lap, Piastri finished fifth, and he finished out the points, there you go.”

A report from Fox Sports AU also shared more details about the situation at Red Bull.

Tsunoda started 10th and, at one point, as Benson alludes to, was running ahead of Piastri, which could have had serious implications in the drivers’ championship.

He wasn’t able to hold up the McLaren driver for too long, although the fact that he was running harder compound tyres, and didn’t have the same set of updates on his car as Verstappen, didn’t help.

A slow pit stop ultimately cost Tsunoda some points, but the gap between himself and Verstappen could cost Red Bull staff some of their bonuses due to where they might finish in the constructors’ championship.

The report suggests that ‘few in the paddock believe that Tsunoda has done enough to prevent Isack Hadjar from taking his place next season’, which ultimately raises the question of what’s next for the 25-year-old if he’s dropped.

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Where could Yuki Tsunoda go next if he’s dropped by Red Bull for Isack Hadjar?

Tsunoda will know that Isack Hadjar is the favourite to be Verstappen’s teammate next season at Red Bull.

That leaves Tsunoda fighting with Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad to return to Racing Bulls in 2026.

However, Red Bull are unlikely to see the value in pairing two drivers who have already had their chance with the team together, and so Lindblad is most likely to earn one of those seats.

If Red Bull ultimately decide to go with Lawson over Tsunoda, the 25-year-old will have to try and use his connections with Honda to become a reserve driver at Aston Martin.

That isn’t the solution that Tsunoda will want, though, and Red Bull delaying any decision until the end of the year gives him a few more chances to prove he’s worthy of a place on next year’s grid.