Yuki Tsunoda has struggled to get to grips with the RB21 after his promotion to Red Bull for the Japanese Grand Prix earlier this season.
Tsunoda currently sits in 17th place in the drivers’ standings with 10 points to his name, a far cry from his Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen‘s tally of 185 points, which is currently netting him third-place.
To make matters worse for the Japanese driver, he is without a points-scoring finish in his last six races and with his Red Bull contract up at the end of the season, he needs a turnaround in form to cement his position as an F1 driver heading into 2026.
Tsunoda made an honest admission about his future after last week’s Belgian GP, stating that he would be lying if he wasn’t worried about his current seat at Red Bull.
However, it seems like Helmut Marko has a date set in stone for when a verdict will be served.
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Helmut Marko confirms that Yuki Tsunoda’s future will be determined ‘after the summer break’
Speaking with GPOne ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, Marko was asked about the key traits Laurent Mekies has brought to the team since his appointment to the team principal role following Christian Horner‘s abrupt sacking.
Marko replied, “He’s down-to-earth and has both feet on the ground. His discussions with the drivers are also more technical. Yuki Tsunoda improved in qualifying. Unfortunately, the strategy was wrong in the race.”
CategoryYuki TsunodaMax Verstappen2025 points10185Grand Prix results19Grand Prix qualifying011Grand Prix wins02Grand Prix poles04Grand Prix podiums05Best finish9th1stRetirements11Retirements (classified finish)00Fastest laps01Grand Prix points finishes312Sprint results02Sprint qualifying02Sprint wins01Sprint poles00Sprint podiums01The 2025 F1 teammate head-to-head battle of Yuki Tsunoda and Max Verstappen
Tsunoda’s seventh-place grid slot for the Belgian Grand Prix was his best qualifying effort so far for the Austrian constructor.
When asked if this turnaround has helped Tsunoda’s chances of retaining his seat, Marko responded, “Our driver evaluation traditionally takes place after the summer break. At the moment, everything is open. We’re looking at performances – both positive and negative.”
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Laurent Mekies reuniting with Yuki Tsunoda should have a positive impact on the F1 driver
Mekies is already making his mark on Red Bull by doing things that never previously happened at the team under Horner, such as the decision to give Tsunoda one of the upgraded floors that was a spare for Verstappen’s car.
It is things like this that will improve the confidence of a driver who isn’t having the easiest time on track at the moment. The change saw an instant uptick in performance from Tsunoda, who went on to place the car in Q3 for the first time since the Miami Grand Prix in May.
Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images
Since the news of Mekies’ arrival to the team was announced at the beginning of July, Red Bull staff noticed the immediate change in attitude from Tsunoda, who was reported to have been feeling mentally and physically good ahead of the Belgian GP weekend.
However, the Japanese driver is going to need to improve his results on track to have a leg to stand on once negotiations with Red Bull take place after the summer break. Nico Rosberg has expressed his frustration with Tsunoda, stating that ‘time is ticking’ for the driver to prove his worth in F1.