Red Bull has revealed Yuki Tsunoda‘s gap to Max Verstappen will be the “main parameter” upon which his chances of retaining his seat in Formula 1 will be assessed.
Tsunoda’s prospects at Red Bull became even more precarious last weekend as the main opposition to his drive recorded his maiden podium in the Dutch Grand Prix.
Isack Hadjar, who began 2025 alongside Tsunoda at Racing Bulls, produced a sensational weekend to capitalise on Lando Norris’ late retirement to inherit third place.
The Frenchman’s exploits witnessed him amass more points in a single race than Tsunoda has attained across the 13 rounds he has completed with Red Bull to date.
Tsunoda was unable to build upon the promise he displayed in the run-up to the summer break as he qualified outside the top 10 and trailed home ninth at Zandvoort.
Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies, however, has insisted that the team’s decision on who will partner Max Verstappen in 2026 won’t be determined by one weekend alone.
“As much as we like the emotion of the race-by-race feeling, we have a feeling in Budapest, we have another feeling here,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“The truth is, if you step back, look at it from a Red Bull perspective, it’s our drivers, we have them all under contract.
“It’s only us making the decisions, us meaning the Red Bull group, you know, why would you put yourself under pressure based on a result or another?
“So, hence, the simple truth is that we will take our time, there is nine races to go.
“I’m not telling you that we’ll wait until the last race, because also there is a dynamic by which you want to let your driver know, but we have time.”
How Tsunoda can salvage Red Bull hopes
Mekies has outlined that Tsunoda’s hopes of remaining at Red Bull will be largely dependent on him getting closer to Verstappen’s pace during the upcoming rounds.
“At first, you can always do more, always. We can do more, he can do more, always,” he expressed.
“So, he’s doing more and more, we are trying everything we can to support.
“I think it’s still a positive trend for Yuki, I think it’s the first time back in the points after seven races, I’ve been told.
“Spa was a step forward, Budapest, as much as we were poor as a team, was a step forward in terms of [the] gap to Max.
“Today, he’s P9, could have been a P8 or a P7, even though the pace is difficult to evaluate.
“So, I think we just want to see him continue to progress, continue to close the gap to Max, as that’s the main parameter, and continue to score points, because that’s ultimately what it is about.”
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