Red Bull Racing have been heading down the rabbit hole for some time with their Formula One car design. Whilst there’s always been difficulty in finding a driver who can compete with world champion Max Verstappen, the second seat at the Milton Keynes based team this year has become an absolute nightmare.
Last year experienced driver Sergio Perez found the RB20 nigh on impossible to drive after early European season upgrades. The Mexican driver had scored 103 points at the conclusion of round six in Miami, but remarkably managed just 48 more across the final three quarters of the season.
Checo had been awarded a new two year extension to his contract despite again failing to score at the Monaco Grand Prix, but the vote of confidence Red Bull showed in their driver failed to translate into improvements in performance on track.
Red Bull’s troublesome 2nd seat
Perez’s lack of contribution in points to the team’s challenge for the constructors’ championship, meant that what looked to be another team title for Red Bull early in the year began to fade quickly. Come round sixteen in Azerbaijan, McLaren for the first time moved ahead of the then world champions.
The pressure on Christian Horner and the team to make a change became unstoppable and in the week following the season’s finale in Abu Dhabi, it was announced the Mexican driver wold be leaving the F1 team.
Dr. Marko’s favourite to replace Checo was Liam Lawson, who had debuted last year for the Racing Bulls in 2023 as a stand in for the injured Daniel Ricciardo. The New Zealander then replaced the likeable Aussie full time, following Ricciardo’s dismissal following the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix.
Yet two disastrous race weekends in Australia and China at the start of this season saw Checo’s replacement Lawson demoted to the Racing Bulls. Yuki Tsunoda, who had been many’s favoured choice to originally replace Perez was promoted alongside Max Verstappen but the Japanese driver now in his fifth F1 season has failed to make the second RB21 work.
Tsunoda fails in Hungarian qualifying
Tsunoda whose chief sponsor is Honda, has scored just seven points in the eleven rounds in which he has competed in the RB21, by far the lowest contribution of any number two driver to Max Verstappen. In Hungary he again failed to make it out of the first qualifying session and will start the race from sixteenth.
Racing Bulls Isack Hadjar is quickly becoming the rookie of the season and his performances have seen him regularly out qualify and out race Tsunoda in the sister team’s car. The French-Algerian began his F1 career with a crash on the way to the grid in Australia and now has five points scoring finishes and sits eleventh in the drivers’ title race with 22 points.
Red Bull’s maverick Dr. Marko in days gone by, may well have lobbied for Tsunoda to be replaced by Hadjar. Yet with a new team principal in situ, the influence of there 82 year old Austrian may be somewhat diminished. Laurent Mekies who has replaced Christian Horner, is reported to have an excellent relationship with the Japanese driver from their tie together last season at the Racing Bulls.
Hungary has been something of a disaster for Red Bull Racing, with Max Verstappen outside the top ten in each of the three practice sessions. Come qualifying, the world champion could only manage P8, finishing the session over three tenths behind surprise pole sitter Charles Leclerc.
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Mekies backs Tsunoda progress
Tsunoda was out in Q1 for the fourth time since his move to Red Bull and was some 0.7 seconds off the pace of the fastest time in the session. Yuki has failed to score a single point since his tenth place at the Emilia-Romagane Grand Prix, yet unlike his predecessor Sergio Perez, his place within the team is not in question.
Yet team boss Laurent Mekies has no intention of replacing the Japanese driver and he stated after the disappointing qualifying hour that, “the priority is to give Yuki what he needs to perform. That’s where, with regards to the second seat, that’s where the priority is. It’s what the team is concentrated on.
“They have been trying that for a number of races now. We are trying to find ways together to make a further step. You know, Spa was very positive, certainly from that perspective,” said the Frenchman referring to Tsunoda’s P7 in qualifying, although poor race strategy meant he failed to score a point. “Here it’s a bit of a tricky weekend overall, so it’s probably a bit more difficult to judge.
“But there is no reason why Yuki’s performance cannot be what we have seen in the past. And that’s what we are concentrated on right now.”
Yuki “I was very close….”
However, its not all doom and gloom for Tsunoda, who has made a step forward towards his team mate. In the session he was knocked out, Verstappen was only eleventh quickest and separated from his Japanese team mate by 0.163 seconds.
Speaking in the media pen following the session, the red Bull driver believes he has “definitely” progressed in the tricky RB21. “Obviously, Max is Max, able to do a little bit more,” he continued. “But at the same time definitely positive, like I said.
“I was very close to Max throughout the week. Some sessions ahead. I know something to come from my car. So, I think, obviously, frustrating missing out on [getting through] Q1. But also, he was almost out as well. So, something that I can be proud of a little bit.” Yuki concluded.
With Honda leaving to partner with Aston Martin next season, Tsunoda’s future is unclear despite his close relationship with Laurent Mekies. A rejuvenated Helmet Marko following Christian Horner’s dismissal, will in all likelihood be pressing for Isack Hadjar to join Verstappen in the Red Bull team.
Yet if Tsunoda can repeatedly get within two tenths of his team mate in qualifying, this wold be the best Red Bull has seen, since the days of Daniel Ricciardo.
Ferrari’s 17 year curse: President finally speaks out
Ferrari president breaks silence on lack of titles – The Formula One Ferrari team are the only racing outfit which has competed in the sport since the off in 1960. The Scuderia have won more races and championships than another team and the iconic red livery evokes memories of yesteryear and all the great drivers who have raced for the Maranello based team.
In the days of unlimited spending in F1, Ferrari have mostly been capable of matching the budget of any other team on the grid. Yet it has been seventeen long years since the team under the guidance of Stefano Domenicali won the constructors’ championship, the year Lewis Hamilton took his first drivers’ title with McLaren.
The Scuderia have come close to glory in the intervening era even in 2024, Leclerc and Sainz came close to taking the constructor’s championship closing down a 79 point gap across the final six race weekends to just 14 come the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi…. READ MORE
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So they happy to give Tsunoda as much time as he needs to come to grips with that dog of a car yet Lawson gets axed after 2 drives and not even any testing
Talk about lopsided
LMAO the funniest part of this article is Zak brown actually believes himself. It is true the Red Bull bought the team when F1 was in dyer trouble.
Maclaren can’t even build there own power unit.
Zak and Toto’s antics are damaging to Red Bull and F1. This bs is for behind closed doors. Fact still remains Christian Horner is one of the most successful team principals in F1 history.