Red Bull F1 chief Helmut Marko slams 'SLOW' Yuki Tsunoda with damning verdict

Red Bull

Marko slams 'SLOW' Tsunoda with brutal Red Bull verdict

Yuki Tsunoda joined Red Bull in March

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Wednesday 11 June 2025 09:44

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has said that the team have 'forgotten' about winning the constructors' championship, placing the blame for that on Yuki Tsunoda's 'not good enough' form.

Having joined the team in March following Red Bull's decision to replace Liam Lawson, Tsunoda has only managed to score seven points in seven race weekends, while team-mate Max Verstappen has scored 101 in that same timeframe.

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Japanese racer Tsunoda still sits above Lawson - who was demoted to Racing Bulls - in the drivers' championship, but is 11 points behind rookie Isack Hadjar, who has been racing with the brand's junior team all-season long.

As a result of their problems with the second Red Bull seat, the Milton Keynes-based outfit now sit 218 points behind constructors' championship leaders McLaren.

And that has caused Marko to confess that their dreams of reclaiming that particular crown are over just nine races into the season.

"For the constructors' championship, we have already forgotten about the title, we have no chance of that anymore," Marko wrote in his column for Speedweek.

"Of course, that’s also down to the second driver, because Yuki Tsunoda is slow to get going.

"Tsunoda has scored one championship point in the last three races and that’s not good enough."

Yuki Tsunoda has struggled in the second Red Bull car

Will Red Bull change their driver lineup again?

Despite Tsunoda's form, Marko has also constantly reiterated that the 25-year-old will remain in the seat for at least the whole of the 2025 season, as Red Bull look for some stability.

Lawson had replaced Sergio Perez after the 2024 season, meaning Red Bull have had four different 'full-time' racers in their two cars in the last six months.

While Hadjar's great form - he has outscored both Verstappen and Tsunoda combined in the last two race weekends - will likely be a temptation for Red Bull, the way Lawson and Tsunoda's confidence has been rocked by the RB21 means it makes more sense to leave the rookie driver where he is.

However, the Frenchman will surely be a contender to replace Tsunoda for 2026, with the Japanese racer's contract within the Red Bull family up at the end of the season.

Red Bull Max Verstappen McLaren FIA Helmut Marko Yuki Tsunoda