It sounds absurd, but Red Bull’s title‑contender teammate landed 17th in the 2025 standings, a stark contrast to Max Verstappen’s dominance.
Such a gap is rare; the closest modern parallel was Felipe Massa’s 16th place early in 2012 while teammate Fernando Alonso led the championship.
Tsunoda’s situation was distinct. After dropping underperforming Sergio Pérez, Red Bull chose Liam Lawson over him for a 2025 seat, betting on Lawson’s higher ceiling.
Lawson barely saw action – two races ended in Q1 exits and zero points before he returned to Racing Bulls, opening the main seat for Tsunoda.
Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing
At the time, the Japanese driver expressed confidence that he could succeed where others had faltered.
“People say Red Bull cars have strong front grip. I love aggressive turn‑in, and I’ve adapted to that before,” Tsunoda explained before his debut.
“Racing Bulls cars understeered, which was tough at first, but I got used to it. Now I just need to read Red Bull’s traits again – I’m not worried,” he added.
Verstappen racked up eight wins, outpacing even 2025 champion Lando Norris, while Tsunoda never reached a podium, his best finish a modest sixth in Baku, earning 30 points to Verstappen’s 385.
Across 27 qualifiers (including sprints), Tsunoda hit Q3 eight times, Q2 nine times and fell out in Q1 ten times, beating his teammate only once and lagging 0.6 seconds on average.
What went wrong with the RB21? Tsunoda admits he still can’t pinpoint the issue.
“Usually I get a feel for the car, but after Abu Dhabi I was still in the dark. I can’t explain why I struggled to adapt,” he said on the Beyond The Grid podcast.
“I thought I was confident, yet some races I simply lost it. Honestly, I still don’t get the car,” he confessed.
Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing
Tsunoda openly says he refused to alter his driving style, believing his approach works, yet he tried copying Verstappen’s setups – a move that backfired.
“I have enough ego not to change my style. I trust my own technique and never mimic another driver, even a champion like Max,” he admitted.
“Max is a world champion; I still learn from his driving,” he continued.
“My core style stayed the same. Early on I considered copying Max, but data showed little benefit,” he explained.
“My biggest mistake was trying to copy his setup. Even when the car oversteered, I chose his settings, which made it worse. The opposite happened with understeer too,” he said.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing Team
Alex Albon also failed to match Verstappen’s setup in 2019‑20, showing it’s not a simple tweak.
In 2023, the Anglo‑Thai reflected on the High Performance Podcast: “Verstappen’s style is uniquely sharp, far beyond my smoother approach.”
“Imagine maxing sensitivity in a game and the cursor darts everywhere – that’s how his car feels, almost painfully tense,” he described.
Tsunoda heard the metaphor but didn’t think it applied to the RB21.
When asked, he replied, “Partly yes, partly no. The car differs from Alex’s, and I’ve never driven his setup.”
I force the car to match my driving
“It’s sensitive, but I didn’t feel that way. Some tracks I was more sensitive than him, others less. Overall he seemed to run a sharper car,” he noted.
“He could sense the car’s natural reactions in a corner and exploit them faster than I could,” Tsunoda observed.
“When I get a sharp turn‑in or front slide, I force the car to behave the way I want,” he said.
Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing
“I usually respect how the car wants to turn, but I couldn’t harness that in the Red Bull,” he admitted.
During Suzuka free practice, his early optimism turned cautious as the RB21 felt trickier than the simulator.
In hindsight, that was the first hint of the struggle ahead.
“I thought I had confidence, but it wasn’t enough compared to the VCARB I drove for four years,” Tsunoda said.
“I built some confidence, yet I missed the key to unlock full performance throughout the year,” he reflected.
I fought harder than ever in 2025
By the penultimate race in Qatar, Tsunoda learned he’d be a reserve driver in 2026 – a relief after a draining season.
“I still recall Helmut Marko telling me the news. He’d helped me get into F1 and the junior programme,” he recalled.
“Helmut was disappointed, but I wasn’t devastated. I was sad, yet I’d fought harder than ever in 2025 and have no regrets. I gave everything,” he said.
“Honestly, my heart said, ‘Now I can relax.’ The second half was so stressful I could barely breathe,” he admitted.
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