Peter Bayer, CEO of Red Bull’s sister team Racing Bulls, has expressed surprise at the difficult transition of Yuki Tsunoda to Red Bull Racing. The Japanese driver moved to the top team in April as a replacement for Liam Lawson, but has only scored seven points in twelve races.
Tsunoda got his chance alongside Max Verstappen after two seasons as the lead driver at Racing Bulls. His promotion came unexpectedly, as Lawson was initially designated as Sergio Pérez’s successor. However, while Tsunoda previously impressed at Racing Bulls, he has been lagging at Red Bull.
Since his transfer during the Grand Prix of Japan, Tsunoda has remained scoreless in seven consecutive races – a negative first for a Red Bull driver. In addition, he has been eliminated in Q1 in four of the last races. His best qualifying result of 2025 (P6) was achieved while still at Racing Bulls in Australia.
Bayer told PlanetF1: “Yes, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t surprised. I’ve seen his potential and his physical preparation, he was stronger than ever. But why it’s going so difficult, I honestly don’t know. He probably just needs time. The Red Bull is much harder to drive. Our car is more forgiving, but slower.”
