In a surprising scenario, Yuki Tsunoda has finished in 17th position in the Formula 1 drivers’ championship, an unimaginable result for a driver who shares a team with one of the main favorites, Max Verstappen, at Red Bull during the 2025 season.
This phenomenon has recalled past situations, such as Felipe Massa’s in 2012, who started the season in a low position while his teammate Fernando Alonso led the standings. However, Tsunoda’s situation has been unique, as Red Bull decided to replace the inefficient Sergio Pérez with Liam Lawson, who ultimately could not showcase his potential and returned to his former team.
The situation paved the way for Tsunoda’s opportunity to enter the main team. At the beginning of his stint with the RB21, the Japanese driver expressed optimism, convinced that he could adapt to the car’s requirements. ‘I like cars with an aggressive entry and I’m used to adjusting my driving style,’ Tsunoda stated before his first competitive outing with Red Bull.
However, his experience turned out to be complicated. While Verstappen achieved eight victories, Tsunoda could not reach any podium, his best result being a sixth place in Baku, accumulating only 30 points compared to his teammate’s 385.
Tsunoda’s numbers in qualifying sessions also reflect his struggles. In a total of 27 sessions, he only managed to access Q3 on eight occasions, while being eliminated in Q1 10 times. When compared to Verstappen, Tsunoda showed an average speed 0.6 seconds slower.
The reasons for his difficulty with the RB21 remain unclear for Tsunoda. ‘I usually know how to understand the car and its characteristics, but I feel that in the end I didn’t know what I was driving,’ he communicated in the podcast _Beyond The Grid_.
Obviously, his adaptation required considerably more effort than on other occasions, and although he explored adjustments based on what Verstappen was doing, these approaches did not work for him. Tsunoda is aware that his decision not to change his personal driving style may have played a role in his difficult adaptation.
Furthermore, compared to other drivers, Tsunoda acknowledged that he could not properly leverage the car’s natural reactions. This inability to make the best of its reactions led him to feel more tense in various situations.
As the final moments of the season approached, Tsunoda discovered that he would not be retained as a main driver for the next season, which did not surprise him after such a stressful year, during which he felt he was fighting incessantly.
With a feeling of relaxation and a clear vision of his next phase as a reserve driver, Tsunoda acknowledges that despite the adversities, he has no regrets about his struggle throughout the season. ‘I’ve tried to give it my all, and despite the weight of the pressure, I can now breathe,’ he said regarding his mental state at the end of the year.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
