Helmut Marko is looking for someone to blame for Red Bull’s decline. The Milton Keynes advisor does not hold back, and after a difficult start to the season, he points the finger at Yuki Tsunoda.
The Japanese driver has been singled out as one of the main reasons why the team has already “written off” any hope of winning the constructors’ championship.
“He’s not up to the task” – Helmut Marko’s attack on Yuki Tsunoda
Helmut Marko is blunt. In a sharp analysis published on Speedweek, the 82-year-old Austrian revealed that for Red Bull the 2025 constructors’ championship is now out of reach, and the reason is clear: the lack of results from the second driver, Yuki Tsunoda.
“We have already given up on the victory,” Marko writes, pointing out that the Japanese driver has scored only one point in the last three European Grands Prix.
Yuki Tsunoda, who joined the team two races after the season started to replace Liam Lawson, has not made a convincing impact. While there is some technical justification—lack of updates due to the crash in Imola—Marko highlights a deeper problem: performance under pressure.
“In practice, he is close to Max, but in qualifying the gap widens. When the pressure rises, he struggles.”
The comparison with Max Verstappen—who continues to shine even in difficult conditions—is harsh. For Red Bull, used to dominating, the absence of a competitive second driver becomes a heavy burden. The nightmare of 2024 repeats itself: many points lost from the second seat while McLaren and Ferrari fly up the standings.
Despite the criticism, Helmut Marko clarifies that Yuki Tsunoda will not be replaced soon. He will have time to improve, but the verdict on the title is already written. And if Red Bull wants to return to the top, it must start there too: from a second driver who can match the first.
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