Red Bull F1 chief Helmut Marko reveals 'intensive’ Yuki Tsunoda talks over future

Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull, Monaco, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

Red Bull Crisis

Marko reveals 'intensive’ Tsunoda talks over Red Bull future

Red Bull chief Marko discusses the future of F1 driver Tsunoda

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Friday 18 July 2025 11:56

Red Bull's motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has revealed 'intensive' talks took place between the team and F1 driver Yuki Tsunoda after a disappointing run of results this year.

Tsunoda was promoted to the position of Max Verstappen's team-mate after just two rounds of the 2025 season, swapping seats with Liam Lawson who was dropped back down to the junior team.

Lawson only managed a DNF and a P16 finish in his first and only two rounds with Red Bull, with Tsunoda taking the second seat from the Japanese GP onwards in a move the team had hoped would boost their championship chances.

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Instead, Red Bull have dropped to fourth in the constructors' with 172 points, 165 of which have been earned by Verstappen, and Tsunoda has only finished in the points at three grands prix.

On the last two outings with Red Bull, the Japanese racer crossed the line last out of the drivers who remained, and reflecting on his poor form after the British GP, Marko revealed what is being done to boost Tsunoda's future.

Speaking in his column with Speedweek, Marko said: "Yuki Tsunoda has struggled on some GP weekends, but we have already seen an upward trend in England: the gap to Max was smaller in most free practice sessions than before, and he was able to start from eleventh on the grid in England.

"We had intensive discussions with Yuki, he also works with sports psychologists. Unfortunately, like Max, he had no chance in the race with this wing. But we are noticing an improvement in his performance and we are optimistic that this will soon be reflected in points," he added.

Helmut Marko will be keeping a close eye on the gap between Yuki Tsunoda and Max Verstappen

Will Tsunoda run out of time to prove worthy of Red Bull seat?

However, Marko may be talking up the potential of Tsunoda's improvements to save face after the team's hectic aftermath fallout from the British GP.

After all, the points are scored on Sunday and if the 25-year-old wants to stand a chance of remaining with Red Bull for 2026, he needs to start earning some.

Following Red Bull's P5 and P15 result at Silverstone, the Milton Keynes-based outfit delivered the bombshell announcement that principal Christian Horner had been immediately sacked from his role, with an instant reshuffle taking place.

Tsunoda's former Racing Bulls boss Laurent Mekies has now taken over the helm at Red Bull and could prove as a great opportunity for Tsunoda to improve his chances of extending his contract under the leadership of a familiar face.

It is in Red Bull's interest to keep Tsunoda on board as rumours continue to swirl over Verstappen's contract and whether a move to Mercedes could be on the cards.

As Marko awaits an official decision from the Dutchman, Red Bull are faced with the very real possibility that they could be without their star driver next season.

Though Tsunoda may be way off the results his team need from him, getting rid of their number two driver would only make starting over with their line-up much harder, forcing them to sign drivers who have zero experience in the Red Bull machinery.

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Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here she realised her background in journalism and love of motorsport could be combined, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work more closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan which she hopes to build on.

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Red Bull Max Verstappen Helmut Marko Yuki Tsunoda Liam Lawson Marko