Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has revealed that Yuki Tsunoda will be given the remainder of the 2025 Formula 1 season to prove that he deserves to retain the seat.
Tsunoda has been parachuted into the parent Red Bull team at Liam Lawson’s expense as Red Bull has decided to make a straight swap two races into the campaign.
Lawson had been picked over Tsunoda when Sergio Perez was axed, but he struggled to gel with a capricious RB21 car and returned successive scoreless weekends.
That has triggered Red Bull to demote him to Racing Bulls and hand a long-awaited chance to Tsunoda, who has excelled in the opening rounds with the satellite side.
Unlike Lawson, Marko has divulged that Tsunoda will be provided ample time to demonstrate that he should be Max Verstappen’s team-mate past the current season.
When asked whether Tsunoda not delivering to Red Bull’s expected standard could see him get replaced, Marko told Formel1.de: “Yuki Tsunoda will finish the season.”
Why Red Bull reversed Tsunoda stance
Red Bull elected to overlook Tsunoda when the drive became vacant three months ago amid concern over whether he had the mental resilience to handle the step up.
However, Marko admitted the Japanese driver’s strong start to the campaign with Racing Bulls – which has included two top-10 starts – changed Red Bull’s perception.
“Yuki Tsunoda is a fast driver, we know that, but he’s had his ups and downs”, Marko said. “That’s why we thought Lawson was the better and stronger candidate.
“But Yuki has undergone a transformation. He changed his management, and in this situation, this was simply the best option.”
He added: “Yuki has had ups and downs – I remember the two crashes in Mexico, for example. He simply wasn’t as stable as he is now.
“Yuki is in his fifth year. And experience in such difficult conditions is an enormous factor.
“Yuki has repeatedly emphasised that he’s actually the right man for Red Bull Racing.”
Red Bull’s timing explained
The switch has denied Lawson the chance to salvage his Red Bull prospects on tracks where he has previous experience, which wasn’t the case at the first two races.
Marko has suggested that can’t be used as an excuse, though, as he cited that rookie Isack Hadjar out-qualified the more experienced Tsunoda in China last weekend.
“Even in Suzuka, although Lawson knows the track, on the other hand Hadjar didn’t know China either and was immediately on pace, almost as fast as Yuki – at least in qualifying.
“So it was a downward spiral that we needed to break in order to give Lawson a future in his career.”
Tsunoda’s secret Red Bull simulator runs
Marko recalled how Red Bull’s decision was cemented once Tsunoda impressed the team in the “two or three simulator sessions” that he conducted earlier this week.
“We had to act quickly,” the Austrian addressed. “And everything was positive.
“Also the technical feedback, which he had often been accused of lacking, that he didn’t understand the technical side or couldn’t set up a car – that also turned out to be incorrect.”
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