Red Bull’s junior seat has been a graveyard for many hopefuls. Did the team ever learn from its past missteps?
Pierre Gasly, Alexander Albon, Sergio Perez and Liam Lawson all fell short of Max Verstappen, and the pressure often gnawed at their sanity.
Perez shared four years beside Verstappen, Lawson only two races in 2025, then Tsunoda arrived with a near‑full schedule but no prior RB21 experience.
The Japanese rookie scraped 17th in the standings while Verstappen lost the championship by just two points.
On the Beyond The Grid podcast, Tsunoda revealed how exhausting the chase of Verstappen became for him.
“2025 was the toughest year of my career, and I learned a lot,” he confessed.
“Usually a good meal resets me between race weeks, but in the second half I came home utterly spent,” he said.
Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing
“I normally bounce back after doing something I love, yet that spark never returned and the races kept grinding on,” he admitted.
“I hit a low point, realizing I wasn’t enjoying my life or even racing Formula 1 like I did in my first three seasons,” he explained.
“Outside the paddock I searched for answers—food, friends back in Japan, anything that could lift me—but nothing clicked,” he reflected.
“I sought help from psychologists and trainers, yet the packed second‑half schedule made it a brutal stretch, though it forced deep self‑reflection,” he noted.
Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing
After Hadjar’s wrist injury and Lawson’s temporary move, Tsunoda returned to the Italian squad for the final three Grands Prix, feeling stronger after 2025’s trials.
For my money, his comeback proves the resilience Red Bull needs in its second car.
“I hope pressure won’t crush me like last year. Somehow I’m learning to enjoy those tense moments now,” he said.
“Jumping into an unfamiliar car, spring qualifying and a strong V‑CARB program, I felt surprisingly calm and pressure‑free,” he added.
Will any future challenge ever match the strain of last season?
– The Team
I don’t think so.
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