Red Bull’s Tsunoda Dilemma: Fast, Fierce, but Not Quite Enough – The United States Grand Prix in Austin gave Yuki Tsunoda one of his best weekends in Red Bull Racing colours. Two seventh-place finishes, a haul of eight points, and a display of aggressive early-lap driving painted a promising picture. For a brief moment, it looked like the fiery Japanese driver had found his rhythm.
Yet, as Laurent Mekies made clear afterwards, Red Bull’s expectations are set far higher than “pretty good.” The verdict was sharp and simple: “Is this enough? No.”
For Tsunoda, it was the kind of performance that looked impressive on paper, yet left Red Bull’s management staring at the stopwatch and frowning. The team might have closed the gap to Ferrari and Mercedes in the Constructors’ standings, but that doesn’t mean the bosses are satisfied. The mood around the Red Bull garage suggested that Tsunoda’s future may already be hanging by a thread, and Mekies’ carefully chosen words sounded less like encouragement and more like preparation for a farewell.
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It’s an odd kind of title fight this year, one where none of the front-running teams have two drivers pulling in the same direction. McLaren’s pairing of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are fighting each other almost as hard as they’re fighting Verstappen, while the Dutchman himself remains in a different time zone performance-wise compared to his teammate. Tsunoda, try as he might, has rarely been in a position to help Verstappen during races.
In Austin, that imbalance was laid bare. Verstappen led from the front as usual, while Tsunoda’s battles were mostly with the midfield pack. For a team obsessed with perfection, “almost” doesn’t count. Mekies, ever the methodical engineer, saw the results as steps in the right direction, but still far from the target.
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When pressed about Tsunoda’s contribution, Mekies outlined a pragmatic view. “Yuki has a role to play,” he said. “There’s still a lot at stake in the Constructors’ Championship. We’re not fighting for the title, but the positions behind it are crucial. We need Yuki’s points.”
It’s not exactly a ringing endorsement, but it’s a polite way of saying “don’t crash, just collect points.” if you wish to remain within the Red Bull family.
Red Bull currently trails Ferrari by three points and Mercedes by ten, a slim margin that could easily swing on a single strong weekend. The problem is that Verstappen has scored 306 of the team’s 331 points. Even by Red Bull standards, that’s a staggering imbalance.
Mekies also pointed out Tsunoda’s usefulness in testing.
“The faster Yuki is, the more we can spread development work across both cars,” he explained. With Verstappen sitting out FP1 in Mexico for rookie Arvid Lindblad, Red Bull will rely on Tsunoda for valuable data. The same goes for the rest of the grid, from George Russell and Lewis Hamilton to Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll, several top names will skip FP1, making it a weekend where the supporting cast briefly takes centre stage.
Finally, Mekies dared to dream. “If we look at strategy and race battles, we could end up in a two-on-two fight with McLaren,” he said hopefully.
Tsunoda did finish just two spots behind Piastri in Austin, showing glimpses of genuine competitiveness. Unfortunately, the raw numbers still tell an uncomfortable truth, Tsunoda finished 52 seconds behind Verstappen in the Grand Prix, roughly a second per lap slower.
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When confronted with that brutal gap, Mekies didn’t sugarcoat it. “We always want more. I’m not going to say this was enough, because you’re right about the difference. Nobody feels this was good enough, and Yuki doesn’t either.”
He praised Tsunoda’s lightning starts, 18th to 7th in the sprint, 13th to 9th in two laps of the main race, but ultimately delivered the punchline: “Is this enough? No.”
The answer landed with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. If Tsunoda’s seat wasn’t already in danger, that remark surely nudged it closer to the trapdoor.
Inside the paddock, it’s becoming clear that Red Bull is preparing for a reshuffle. Mekies’ tone wasn’t malicious, but factual, the kind that precedes a polite goodbye.
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All eyes now turn to Red Bull’s decision on Verstappen’s 2026 teammate. The announcement is expected soon after the Mexican Grand Prix, and it could define Red Bull’s next chapter as they enter the new Ford-powered era.
According to RTL, the decision will come between October 24th and 26th, the final chance for the remaining candidates to prove their worth. Only two drivers are still in contention: Yuki Tsunoda and 21-year-old French rookie Isack Hadjar. Once considered a real prospect, Liam Lawson is reportedly no longer in the running.
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Hadjar’s rising stock
Hadjar’s name has been climbing rapidly within Red Bull’s hierarchy. His debut season has been a quiet triumph: 39 points, a podium at Zandvoort, and growing whispers that he might be the next big thing. More importantly, he’s shown consistency, the one quality Red Bull’s junior programme often struggles to find.
There were initial doubts over whether he could handle the pressure of partnering a driver like Verstappen. After all, sharing a garage with Max has historically been a career hazard. But as Dutch outlet De Limburger reports, those concerns are fading fast. Hadjar’s calm demeanor, smooth racecraft, and ability to keep it clean under pressure have earned him significant support inside Milton Keynes.
Meanwhile, Tsunoda’s emotional radio rants and unpredictable weekends continue to feed the perception that, while entertaining, he’s not the kind of driver who brings long-term stability. His passion is undeniable — but passion doesn’t always translate into points.
A team caught between loyalty and logic
Red Bull’s situation isn’t an easy one. Tsunoda has been part of their system since 2021, and his connection with Honda, and now Ford’s incoming partnership, adds layers of politics to the decision. Dropping him would risk friction with Japanese partners, yet keeping him could be seen as sentimental rather than strategic.
Hadjar, on the other hand, represents the next generation — a clean slate, ready to mould. If Red Bull wants to future-proof its driver lineup, the choice seems obvious. But Formula 1 decisions are rarely that simple. Sometimes, who you drop says as much about you as who you keep.
For now, Tsunoda has one more weekend to make his case — one last chance to turn “not enough” into “just maybe.” But if Mekies’ words are anything to go by, Red Bull may have already made up its mind.
And so, as the paddock heads to Mexico, the most telling question isn’t about Verstappen’s dominance or Red Bull’s title lead. It’s simpler than that. It’s the one Mekies already asked — and quietly answered.
“Is this enough?” Apparently not.
What do you think, jury? Should Red Bull stick with Yuki’s fiery unpredictability or roll the dice on fresh talent?
UPDATED: Tsunoda gone: ‘Hülkenberg as Verstappen’s teammate’
Red Bull’s ongoing uncertainty over Verstappen’s new teammate for next season has taken another turn, with 1996 World Champion Damon Hill publicly urging the team to prioritise experience over youth. While Verstappen’s position within Red Bull Racing is secure, the second seat has been the subject of much speculation, and Hill believes that an experienced hand, rather than another Red Bull junior such as Isack Hadjar or incumbent Yuki Tsunoda, should sit alongside the four-time world champion in 2026.
Reports from De Limburger, a Dutch newspaper with strong connections to Verstappen’s camp, have recently suggested that Tsunoda is unlikely to keep his place at Red Bull next season. The Japanese driver, currently...READ MORE
McLaren admit they will ‘shoot themselves in the foot’ if necessary
MORE F1 NEWS – McLaren admit they will ‘shoot themselves in the foot’ if necessary
Following the recent US Grand Prix, McLaren find themselves under pressure in the drivers’ title race from a resurgent Red Bull Racing and world champion Max Verstappen. Since late August, the Dutch driver has closed the gap on leader Oscar Piastri from 104 points to just 40 with five Grand Prix and two Sprints remaining.
McLaren state almost weekly that their so called ‘papaya rules’ will be enforced rigidly to the point that a move by Lando Norris in Singapore which the stewards treated as a racing incident went to the Woking tribunal of big wigs. The result, Norris has been penalised with unspecified “consequences” for the remainder of the season.
Now theta are in a bit of a bind given in the Sprint in Austin, their other driver cause mayhem at the start taking out three cars including himself and team mate Lando Norris. Again the stewards treated the matter as a racing incident but Piastri will surely now have to face the same panel of McLaren judges to learn his fate for the remainder of the season.
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Zak Brown and Andrea Stella have been ridiculed in the media for their micro management of their drivers while claiming they “are free to race.” On hearing of Norris fate for merely doing what a racing driver should do, Max Verstappen mocked the McLaren management. “They kind of created this themselves by trying so hard to make everything equal,” he observed.
Max went on to illustrate that in F1 and in life all is not fair and equal as Norris experienced in Zandvoort when his Mercedes gave up the ghost due to a faulty hose fitted by the McLaren mechanics. Dodgy pitstops are also just part of racing, although McLaren insisted Piastri give a place back to his team mate in Monza due to five second pitstop mistake the British driver suffered during his final stop of the race.
Attempting to legislate equality, Vertsappen implied, is about as effective as putting an umbrella over a hurricane. The Dutchman even outlined his own simple solution to McLaren’s balancing act…READ MORE ON THIS STORY
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