Red Bull has conceded that Yuki Tsunoda’s damage in the Italian Grand Prix denied the team crucial data as it prepares to decide on its 2026 Formula 1 driver line-up.
Tsunoda was unable to build upon a return to the points last weekend at Zandvoort, as a mid-race clash with Liam Lawson put paid to his top-10 prospects at Monza.
Lawson was lining up an overtake on the man who replaced him at Red Bull on Lap 29 when the two touched wheels going through the Variante della Roggia chicane.
But while the stewards ruled that it was a racing incident, Tsunoda incurred crippling damage to his floor that resigned him to coming home in a lacklustre 13th place.
Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies was hesitant to apportion blame, but he professed that the pit wall was aware at the time that Tsunoda’s race had become a lost cause.
“So it was compromised because we’ve seen the damage and we’ve seen the performance loss,” Mekies told media including Motorsport Week.
“So we knew the race was probably over at that moment.
“Now the simple truth is that I have not reviewed the video yet. I spoke with Yuki at length but didn’t have a chance to review fully the video yet. So we will do that with Yuki, and we’ll try to draw the right conclusions.”
Red Bull acknowledges where Tsunoda shortfall lies
Tsunoda had managed to advance into Q3 at Monza to start ninth on the grid, but he lost spots to Lewis Hamilton and Andrea Kimi Antonelli during his opening stint.
Having then surrendered another place through the pitstop phase to Oliver Bearman’s Haas, Tsunoda was unable to make inroads and slipped into Lawson’s clutches.
Mekies has acknowledged the theme that Tsunoda, unlike his predecessors, has struggled more relative to team-mate Max Verstappen in the races than in qualifying.
“Today was a poor sample. You know how it is. The races at the front are very clean. You get at least a good stint to read your performance,” he elucidated.
“Here, it’s very difficult to get anything out of today. First stint in traffic, second stint with the car damage.
“If I look back at the last couple of races, it’s quite similar. I think it is correct to say that we probably have more work to do on the race pace with Yuki.”
Tsunoda making progress despite latest setback
However, the Frenchman believes the encouraging pace that Tsunoda showed over a single lap is concrete evidence that he is making progress with the team’s RB21.
Asked how Red Bull will go about evaluating Tsunoda, Mekies replied: “The same as the new guys. Quali pace, race pace. That’s what we look at. It’s as simple as that.
“Today’s race for Yuki is difficult to read because of the traffic in the first stint, damage in the second stint.
“But I look at yesterday’s qualifying. I still qualify it as a good weekend. He was two tenths from Max in Q1; Max was not exactly slow this weekend.
“And with a small deficit from the car, he was two tenths from Max in Q2. There is no doubt everybody is pushing 100 per cent in Q2.
“And yes, the gap was bigger in Q3. But first, he put the car in Q3, which is a very good performance. And second, he was first on the road in Q3, didn’t help as well.
“So I think, short-run pace, I think was a very good sample for Yuki. Long-run pace, it’s frustrating not to have clean race data.”
Red Bull hopes to have cars on equal spec again in Baku
Mekies has revealed that Red Bull is aiming to have the revised floor that helped Max Verstappen to victory last weekend fitted on both cars at the next round in Baku.
“We are fully transparent. We had a floor upgrade on Max’s car. We think there are no small updates anymore because everything is small anyway,” he explained.
“So it’s a small update. We are hoping to have it on both cars for the next race. And we think it works OK, yeah.”
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