Since joining the team at round 3 of the 2025 season, we have seen Yuki Tsunoda struggle to perform consistently in the Red Bull car. This car is notoriously hard to drive and many drivers have failed to deliver results over the recent years. While this car is so difficult, we have seen Max Verstappen thrive and win world championships. But how does this happen?
The Red Bull car as of 2025 is very difficult to drive with a very specific driving style being the only way you can drive it to be competitive. This way of driving requires confidence and talent. Something we know Tsunoda has as he has proven over the past seasons. However, something else could help the Japanese driver as F1 prepares to enter the summer break after this week’s Hungarian GP.
Upgrades for Yuki Tsunoda as Red Bull aims for improvements
During the last few weeks, there has been quite some drama at Red Bull. Horner was sacked, Laurent Mekies jumped in to replace him, and a chaotic weekend at Spa meant that all hands were on deck. All of this while Red Bull was already in shambles this season.
Nevertheless, Red Bull made a change halfway through the weekend. A change that saw Tsunoda shoot up in qualifying and get close to Verstappen for the first time this season. Tsunoda received an updated front wing after the Sprint race and the Red Bull driver put this to immediate use as he went P7 in Q3 of Qualifying at Spa.
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After the Sprint Race at Spa, Tsunoda confirmed to F1TV that there were more upgrades to come for him as Red Bull is aiming to get both cars back in equilibrium to score points on a regular basis:
“I think summer break, for sure, after summer break. But most likely — hopefully, what I’ve heard — it’s going to be same spec, let’s see for next two races. But anyway, my target is one, so, yeah.”
With Yuki’s positive qualifying pace at Spa, we can only hope that he finds a rhythm in which he can perform. On the other hand, the RB21 remains to be a difficult car to drive with only Verstappen finding success over the past 2 years in race format. The races to come will hopefully provide an insight for Tsunoda as he does not have a seat yet for 2026.
The new era at Red Bull could be beneficial for Tsunoda
With his newfound pace in qualifying at Spa, one can only wonder if the new leadership of Red Bull is affecting Tsunoda in a good way. The two have shared history at Racing Bulls over the last few years and we could see a change in results as well. At Spa, it was Mekies who pushed for Yuki to receive the updated front wing that was originally meant as a spare for Verstappen.
With this shared history, we could very well see Mekies make crucial changes to Red Bull’s cars and setups that favor Tsunoda more than Verstappen, given that the latter doesn’t struggle as much to reach Q3 or the top 10 during race weekends. With these changes already being implemented, we can definitely say that the new era at Red Bull has begun. And this new era could come in very handy for Yuki Tsunoda.
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With next year’s new regulation incoming, there will also be the unique opportunity to build a completely new car. A car that is easier to drive, pushed harder. A car that could see Tsunoda truly show what he can do. Given that, and if Red Bull should choose to keep Yuki for 2026, Red Bull might just return to their previous glory of recent years in the new era of Formula 1
