Yuki Tsunoda’s former team boss questions his work ethic after what he’s seen at Red Bull

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Yuki Tsunoda slipped back out of the points at the Italian Grand Prix last weekend. The comparison to Max Verstappen was more damning than ever as the world champion took a dominant victory.

Tsunoda was back in Q3 on Saturday, which may be enough to satisfy Red Bull, even if Verstappen took pole position. But he fell four places to 13th in the Grand Prix.

The Japanese driver finished 80 seconds behind Verstappen, just about avoiding blue flags. Tsunoda sustained damage in a clash with Liam Lawson, his former Racing Bulls teammate.

He remains 19th in the world championship, which ranks him bottom among full-time drivers. Even taking Verstappen out of the equation, Red Bull may well consider this unacceptable.

Franz Tost questions whether Yuki Tsunoda is ‘eager enough’ amid Red Bull woes

Speaking on ServusTV after the race, Franz Tost raised doubts over Tsunoda’s work ethic. Tost worked with Tsunoda at AlphaTauri (now Racing Bulls) before retiring at the end of 2023.

Earlier in his career, Tost warned Tsunoda that he had to combine talent with dedication at this level of motorsport. And even after 103 races, he’s unsure if his former driver has taken heed.

In the circumstances, Tsunoda should be working in the paddock ‘day and night’ to analyse his telemetry. But Tost doubts whether he’s going the extra mile.

He said: “I’ve always told him: Yuki, in Formula 1 you have to work. If I’m five-tenths to one second slower than my teammate, then I’ll stay in the paddock day and night or study the data until I know why I’m slower.”

“And that’s where we still have to get Yuki to. He’s talented, but unfortunately, he’s not eager enough, not hardworking enough to compensate for this shortcoming.”

Are this team Yuki Tsunoda’s last hope of staying in Formula 1?

Helmut Marko called Tsunoda’s collision with Lawson ‘incredibly stupid’, particularly given the close relationship between the two teams. That appears to be a marker of Red Bull’s growing frustration.

Tsunoda is out of contract at the end of the season, and the likelihood of an extension appears to be shrinking. Isack Hadjar, the top contender to replace him, rallied from a pit-lane start to score another point on Sunday.

Laurent Mekies refused to say whether Tsunoda could rejoin Racing Bulls if he loses his spot alongside Verstappen. There are very few options available to him given the settled nature of this year’s driver market.

Tsunoda’s manager may have spoken to Alpine, who are undecided on whether to continue with Franco Colapinto. A reunion with Pierre Gasly may be his only hope of staying in F1 should his Red Bull struggles persist.