Yuki Tsunoda scored his first World Championship points since the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, eight races before the race weekend in Zandvoort. The Japanese driver has been struggling with the capricious RB21 throughout his time as a Red Bull driver, leaving his future with the team uncertain. ‘My priority is to stay with Red Bull,’ Tsunoda reveals.
Yuki Tsunoda had the opportunity to sit next to Max Verstappen for the first time during his home race, the Japanese Grand Prix. However, since then, the Japanese driver has not been able to make a significant impact in his time as a Red Bull driver. His best result was achieved in Bahrain, where he crossed the finish line in ninth place. Prior to the Dutch Grand Prix, where the driver matched his best result, Tsunoda experienced a streak of seven consecutive Grands Prix without scoring a single World Championship point.”Tsunoda’s contract expires at the end of 2025. His personal sponsor and engine supplier, Honda, has already promised the Japanese driver that he can finish his season with Red Bull. Whether Yuki Tsunoda will still be driving for the Austrians in 2026 is yet to be determined. “My priority is to stay with Red Bull and improve my performance as much as possible. That’s my only focus,” Tsunoda says in Zandvoort. The driver prefers to leave any discussions with other teams to his manager.
Marko
While Tsunoda continues to struggle with the RB21, Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson did finish on the podium in Zandvoort. Earlier in the season, Liam Lawson was demoted to the sister team after just two races, and the question is whether Tsunoda might face the same fate. “I don’t know,” the driver admits. “Maybe Helmut (Marko) is considering this in the background. I never really know what he’s thinking, to be honest. But he supports me a lot. Of course, he also wants as many points for the team as possible, so I need to perform.” According to Tsunoda, the 82-year-old Austrian is still weighing up what is best for the team.
