Yuki Tsunoda finally ended his scoring drought in Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix. He finished ninth to bag his first points since the Emilia Romagna GP in May.
Tsunoda had gone seven races without a top-10 finish, one of the worst runs in Red Bull’s history. This has led many to predict that he will lose his seat when his contract expires at the end of the season.
On Saturday, Tsunoda once again failed to reach Q3, while teammate Max Verstappen qualified third. Former partners Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson also shone in fourth and eighth, respectively.
RANKDRIVERTEAMPOINTS1Oscar PiastriMcLaren252Max VerstappenRed Bull183Isack HadjarRacing Bulls154George RussellMercedes125Alex AlbonWilliams106Oliver BearmanHaas87Lance StrollAston Martin68Fernando AlonsoAston Martin49Yuki TsunodaRed Bull210Esteban OconHaas1
But capitalising on retirements and penalties ahead, as well as an aggressive Red Bull strategy, Tsunoda gained three places and gave the team some cause for optimism, even if he remains 18th in the championship.
Gracious Yuki Tsunoda congratulates Isack Hadjar on Dutch Grand Prix podium
In the context of the F1 driver market, it was perhaps a bittersweet day for Tsunoda. Hadjar scored a podium to significantly strengthen his case for a promotion to Red Bull.
One journalist said Hadjar now looks like a ‘shoo-in’ to join Verstappen. He becomes the first rookie to score a podium for the Faenza-based team.
The Frenchman, arguably the shining light in one of F1’s most-talked-about rookie classes, has now climbed into the top 10 in the world championship. A seminal performance earned him the driver of the day award.
Even though the threat to his 2026 prospects has now become much more acute, Tsunoda’s reaction on Instagram was gracious. He congratulated Hadjar and his old team after revealing that he’d had to overcome adversity to grab ninth.
He wrote: “Happy with that performance, back in the points while dealing with an issue and two untimely safety cars. Big congrats to @isackhadjar and @visacashapprb for the podium.”
Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies’ intriguing reaction to Isack Hadjar heroics
Speaking to Sky Italy after the race, Laurent Mekies saluted Hadjar’s ‘extraordinary’ performance. It’s the first time a Red Bull-linked driver not named Verstappen has scored a podium since Sergio Perez at last year’s Chinese GP.
Mekies said: “He deserved the podium a long time ago; he didn’t get there by chance, but with an extraordinary race. Congratulations to him and Racing Bulls, they earned it. Does Hadjar deserve Red Bull? Yes.”
The Frenchman is in a unique position as he offers his guidance on the team’s driver position. He has worked with all three candidates for the seat, if one includes Lawson in that equation.
Reports suggest Hadjar is ‘resistant’ to joining Red Bull so early in his career, but team management will now find it much more difficult to justify continuity.
Ralf Schumacher says Tsunoda is on a ‘farewell tour’, with F2 driver Arvid Lindblad hopeful of joining the Red Bull F1 roster next year. That makes a demotion, similar to what happened to Lawson, unlikely.