F1 News: Tsunoda surge hints at Red Bull revival beyond Verstappen
(GMM) The positive shift at Red Bull post-Christian Horner is being felt not just at the front – but further down the grid too, where Yuki Tsunoda (pictured) is finally closing the gap after a surprise upgrade at Spa.
“We’re very happy to start with,” Dr Helmut Marko told ORF. “It’s the first time we’ve had four cars in the top ten,” he said, referencing strong showings from Max Verstappen, Liam Lawson, Isack Hadjar – and Tsunoda, who qualified seventh to Verstappen’s P4.
Marko, now wielding more influence within Red Bull Racing, sees progress in the long-struggling Japanese driver. “I think he’s getting better and better. Sometimes he does really well, but he can’t do it on a regular basis yet,” Marko told Motorsport-Magazin.com.
“Yuki hasn’t had any updates yet, unlike Max. But if nothing happens to him in the sprint race, he’ll get new parts too.”
Indeed, that happened just ahead of qualifying when the team surprised Tsunoda by fitting a newly arrived floor.
“We fitted his car with the new underbody before qualifying,” Marko confirmed. “That’s always a risk, and it was getting tight as time went on, but we pushed hard and everyone’s efforts paid off.”
Mekies echoed the effort: “We updated Yuki’s car just before qualifying because we always try our best when it comes to details. We decided to take a risk. The result is the effort of all the team members.”
Tsunoda noticed the difference immediately. “A little more grip, literally,” he smiled.
“It’s now clear how much of a gap we’ve had over the last few races. The old one was more sensitive. Once you slide, it just doesn’t recover. With this one, you can be more aggressive.”
“There are still some parts to go, but the floor was big enough anyway. It feels much better,” he said. “I can’t say which parts, but there’s still a difference.”
Speaking to Viaplay, Tsunoda joked: “It was a nice surprise for me! A late birthday present perhaps, I don’t know. I heard about it just before qualifying.”
Despite his performance, Tsunoda accepts Verstappen will always be the upgrade priority. “It’s not always easy, not for the team either, and that’s understandable. They’re fighting for the championship. Max is the one in front, the best driver on the grid.”
As for his uncertain future beyond 2025 – when Honda departs to Aston Martin – Tsunoda remains focused on continuing to improve. “I’m trying to do that, so I can hopefully get close to him in the future.”
