Max Verstappen has indicated that Red Bull’s on-track Formula 1 improvements could give team-mate Yuki Tsunoda the chance to show what he can do.
The Milton Keynes-based squad has found resurgence in the last two races, with Verstappen taking dominant victories in both.
Its RB21, often maligned throughout the campaign, has provided little stability on track and, as a consequence, in its results.
With Verstappen finding it hard to conquer, Tsunoda has understandably suffered even more, scoring a handful of points before his sixth-place finish last time out in Baku.
It has placed the Japanese driver under considerable threat of losing his seat, with sister squad Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar potentially waiting in the wings.
But Verstappen hinted that now some equilibrium in setting up the car has been found, Tsunoda may be able to extract enough from it to impress his paymasters that he is capable of filling that second seat next year.
“It is difficult to say,” he said when asked what has made the car so difficult to drive across much of the season.
“Throughout the season, we have been going a bit left and right with the setup, and I feel like now we are starting to be more stable with the behaviour of the car.
“I hope that will help both drivers because it is not always easy to jump in the car when it is unpredictable or not doing what you want.
“Then, with the field being so close, one or two-tenths, you can be through to Q2 or out in Q1. It is a very, very competitive field at the moment.
“So now, at the coming races, hopefully with the car being in a more stable window, it will help both drivers.”
Red Bull will be keen to see its form continue at this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, a race in which the team is known to normally struggle.
READ MORE – Why Red Bull sees F1 Singapore GP as the team’s ‘real test’
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