Formula 1 News: Tsunoda back in frame after Baku breakthrough
(GMM) Yuki Tsunoda (pictured) may have revived his chances of staying with Red Bull for 2026 after delivering what team boss Laurent Mekies called his “best race” since promotion.
The Japanese driver finished P6 in Baku, fending off Lando Norris to help Max Verstappen maximize his victory and slash McLaren’s title leads.
“We sat down after the race in Monza – Tsunoda was at times a second slower than Max – and decided on a different approach,” Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko told Sky Deutschland.
“Simply put, he needs more coaching due to his less experience than Max. We tuned the car more to his preferences.”
According to Marko, the team is now coaching Tsunoda more directly. “We’re informing him what Max does in certain situations,” he explained. “And we’ve tuned the car more to his liking, so it’s not quite as critical at the limit.”
Tsunoda said the changes – including extra simulator work – gave him additional confidence at the wheel. “All the effort I’ve put in over the past few weeks is now paying off,” said the Japanese.
“I noticed a few things that Max did a little differently than I did. I immediately implemented those in the simulator, and it felt good. Applying that to the track is a different story, but I made progress.”
He admitted the gap to Verstappen remains large. “Of course the quality isn’t at Max’s level,” Tsunoda said, “but I took it step by step.
“This weekend gives me more confidence for the future. I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing.”
In the race, Tsunoda defended firmly against Norris despite fading tires. “It wasn’t easy,” he admitted. “All I had were the tires I used in qualifying, and they overheated quite quickly.
“Of course I can’t make any aggressive moves and lose my position, because that would be very damaging to Red Bull as a team, with McLaren ahead of us.”
His goal, he said, was to help Verstappen. “The most important thing is to stay ahead of McLaren. I think that’s the most important thing for the Red Bull family.
“We’re not giving up on this season, especially when it comes to Max’s chances of winning the drivers’ title. I’ll try to squeeze the maximum out of the car, and it would be great if I could support him.”
With Isack Hadjar widely tipped for promotion in 2026, Tsunoda knows his entire future in Formula 1 remains uncertain.
But after Baku, Mekies was full of praise: “He drove his best race here since joining Red Bull.”
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Tsunoda’s marked improvement in Baku was overshadowed by Lawson qualifying third and finishing fifth, but Sky Sports F1 pit reporter Ted Kravitz believes that the Japanese driver’s most recent outing has done his hopes of being on the grid in 2026 no harm at all.
Kravitz was reflecting on all the action from Baku in Ted’s Notebook and saw Red Bull’s second driver walking through the paddock.
He said: “Here is Yuki. Yuki was brilliant today.
“And the real Yuki Tsunoda turned up again; he’s just been given a bracelet, but that’s a very solid P6 for Yuki Tsunoda.
“Very good stuff, so happy to see him back in the points for Red Bull, and hopefully that’s what’s going to cement him staying in the Red Bull driver program.
“Yes, he’s probably going to go back down to Racing Bulls next year. But, with more points positions like that, then he will be very much in that team with that man in the Racing Bulls anorak, and hopefully he’ll be there, because he’s doing a great job.”