The situation of Yuki Tsunoda in the Formula 1 World Championship 2025 has been surprisingly complicated, as despite being the teammate of Max Verstappen, he ended up in a disappointing sixteenth position in the overall drivers’ standings.
Tsunoda’s case is notable, as at the beginning of the season, Red Bull chose to replace the inefficient Sergio Pérez with Liam Lawson. However, Lawson had a disastrous start and was reinstated to the support team, granting Tsunoda the opportunity to showcase his talent.
Before his debut with Red Bull, Tsunoda expressed his positive expectations about the car’s adaptability. ‘I like driving cars with good front grip and I have adapted my style to handle them,’ he commented. However, throughout the season, the reality turned out to be quite different.
Although Verstappen achieved eight victories during the season, Tsunoda was unable to reach the podium at any point, achieving a maximum sixth place at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and accumulating only 30 points compared to his teammate’s 385.
During the 27 qualifying sessions, he reached Q3 eight times, but had to retire in Q2 on nine occasions and in Q1 on ten. In terms of performance, Tsunoda was 0.6 seconds slower than Verstappen on average.
In a recent podcast, Tsunoda laid out his difficulties with the RB21, the Red Bull car. ‘Normally, I understand the car I drive, but I felt lost and lacking confidence,’ he commented candidly.
Moreover, he acknowledged that one of the biggest mistakes was trying to replicate Verstappen’s setup style, which did not prove effective for him. ‘My nature leads me not to change my driving style; I know what I’m doing, and that makes it difficult for me to imitate other drivers,’ he admitted.
The season was not only complicated for the Japanese, but it also affected his confidence. Even though he tried to make the necessary changes, he never managed to master the car’s characteristics, as he had hoped.
At the end of the season, Tsunoda learned that he would not be retained as a race driver for 2026. His reaction was one of surprising relief after such a grueling season. ‘Although I am disappointed, somehow I feel I can relax after so much pressure throughout the year,’ he concluded.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
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