Yuki Tsunoda will continue to drive an older specification of Red Bull’s car than team mate Max Verstappen this weekend.
“I got informed yesterday we will stick to the same package as [before],” he told the official Formula 1 channel ahead of this weekend’s race at Spa-Francorchamps.
Tsunoda confirmed his RB21 is “a couple of steps behind, still” compared to the version Verstappen will race.
Red Bull has introduced a series of updates to its car in recent races. However Tsunoda sustained heavy damage to one chassis when he crashed heavily during qualifying at Imola and subsequently fell behind Verstappen.
“It’s not ideal but the team is working hard to get the package or deliver the package as soon as possible,” he said. “Especially in this kind of tight field it would be nice. But the team knows it.”
Tsunoda has had a poor run of results in recent races. He has scored no points over the last five rounds and qualified no higher than 11th.
This weekend he has been reunited with former Racing Bulls team principal Laurent Mekies, who has taken over the role previously held by Christian Horner at Red Bull. The pair last worked together at the Chinese Grand Prix, before Tsunoda moved from Racing Bulls to replace Liam Lawson alongside Verstappen.
Tsunoda says he and Mekies “already have a really good relationship” from their time at Red Bull’s second F1 team. “We had a past [when] we worked together and I know exactly how he works and how much he can bring into our team.
“So I’m excited to work with him, obviously. I just entered the paddock with him and he was also excited and he said he missed me so that’s very cute.”
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