Yuki Tsunoda given Red Bull F1 assessment after Max Verstappen intimidation test

Red Bull

Tsunoda given Red Bull assessment after Verstappen intimidation test

Yuki Tsunoda only joined the parent Red Bull team after the second race of the season

Dan Ripley Global Editor

Professional F1 journalist and analyst

Monday 12 May 2025 13:53

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Yuki Tsunoda has been given an early appraisal at Red Bull after being parachuted in at the start of the season as Max Verstappen's team-mate.

Having been snubbed by Red Bull to be promoted from the sister team Racing Bulls in favour of team-mate Liam Lawson for 2025, the Japanese driver was soon called upon to replace the struggling New Zealander after just two races.

While he has failed to get near the pace of team-mate Verstappen during race weekends, he has slightly improved on Lawson's displays, grabbing minor points in Bahrain and last time out in Miami finishing sixth in the sprint and 10th in the race for Christian Horner's outfit.

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Now, Red Bull's chief engineer Paul Monaghan has claimed Tsunoda is on the up, crediting the Japanese star with settling well into the team as well as performing admirably in the face of having a benchmark of world champion Verstappen as a reference point.

Will Yuki Tsunoda stay at Red Bull?

"He seems to be settling in really well, actually. It's not the easiest situation to deal with," Monaghan claimed during the Miami weekend.

"He's arrived, he's been frank in his comments, he's been courteous, he's been a good member of the team. He's been a bit unlucky at times, lucky at others... He's finding his feet.

"He's not afraid to speak his mind, he says what he wants and what he doesn't like, which is good. He's part of the team, he's a good member, and he'll be fine.

"He doesn't seem intimidated by being Max's team-mate at the moment, which is really good. I'm impressed. He's got a great personality."

Helmut Marko has also been pleased with the progress Tsunoda's been making, but he was also keen to point out the areas where the 25-year-old needs to improve - claiming he is highly likely to be affected when the pressure hits at crucial points during a race weekend.

He told Austrian outfit OE24: "He's the first [Verstappen] team-mate who can get a taste of Max's performance. Unfortunately, when the pressure increases, he still makes mistakes."

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Red Bull Max Verstappen Christian Horner Yuki Tsunoda Liam Lawson