Tsunoda’s Struggles: What It Takes to Secure a Red Bull Seat
May 30 – Yuki Tsunoda needs to up his game if he wants to hang onto his seat at Red Bull.
That’s the warning of team boss Christian Horner, who admits that because Liam Lawson and now Tsunoda have failed to match Max Verstappen in 2025, the constructors’ championship is already out of reach.
“We have to be realistic,” he told Bild newspaper. “Only one of our cars is consistently competing for victories.
“But Max still has every chance in the drivers’, and Yuki is supporting him as best he can.”
However, Horner stopped short of saying the Japanese driver has done enough to guarantee the place next to Verstappen for 2026. Also notable is that Tsunoda is strongly linked to Honda, which is switching to Aston Martin next year.
“Yuki is a great fit for the team,” Horner said. “He’s a good guy who contributes well in the garage.
“But if he wants to be considered for next year, he’ll have to continue to improve.”
Horner acknowledged, however, that Tsunoda also has “the toughest job in Formula 1 – being Max’s teammate”.
“The constant comparisons are tough,” he explained. “The psychological impact of competing against the best driver in Formula 1 – perhaps even the best of all time – is not to be underestimated.
“But Yuki is doing well so far, regularly scoring points.”
In the latest Drive to Survive series, Horner singled out Oscar Piastri as an ideal Red Bull driver of the future. When asked about that by Bild, Horner smiled.
“Oscar is a fantastic driver,” said the Briton. “Very strong mentally. He’s the complete package, even though he’s still very young.
“He has a great future ahead of him – and a long-term contract with McLaren. We respect that.”
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He’d realistically only continue in the Red Bull organization beyond the Honda PU supply end if it were for Red Bull Racing.
Otherwise, he’s definitely outbound with Honda, given his overall career situation, even if he were to become a reserve driver for the time being unless Cadillac is interested in hiring him.
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