Ralf Schumacher advises Yuki Tsunoda not to join Red Bull: “The team is in chaos”. Will Yuki Tsunoda be the next to experience the meat grinder role as Max Verstappen’s teammate?.

The big Red Bull opportunity for Yuki Tsunoda
After the cold shower last winter, it seems that the big opportunity for Yuki Tsunoda at Red Bull is about to materialize. The young Japanese driver is, in fact, considered by many to be the favorite to replace Liam Lawson, who has fallen into a crisis with no way out and is already on the chopping block – facing the risk of returning to Racing Bulls or being completely fired with the hiring of Franco Colapinto from Alpine – after just two GPs in the 2025 F1 season.

The tough life of Max Verstappen’s teammate
However, not everyone is convinced that joining Max Verstappen’s team is a good idea for the Japanese driver’s career prospects. While it’s true that Red Bull has one of the cars that aim for victories and podiums – as seen in Melbourne and Shanghai – it’s also true that being Max Verstappen’s teammate is considered the equivalent of a suicide mission in the sporting world. It’s no coincidence that drivers considered quite strong, like Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, and Sergio Perez, have all gone through the same meat grinder in just a few years, even before the young and inexperienced Lawson.

Tsunoda-Red Bull, Ralf Schumacher speaks
This is also why some experts actually advise Yuki Tsunoda not to accept a potential promotion to Red Bull, suggesting that he should stay at Faenza and look for a seat elsewhere for 2026. Among them is former German driver Ralf Schumacher, now an analyst for Sky Germany: “There’s real chaos within the team, not just because the main car is too slow, but also because they keep changing drivers. I have to say, I find the situation truly unbelievable.”

“Beyond everything,” Ralf Schumacher added after the Chinese GP, “the management is really poor from a managerial standpoint. They’re doing nothing but destabilizing the good Racing Bulls team, which is finally doing well with both drivers, and in my opinion, they will burn Tsunoda as well, who has no chance against someone like Max Verstappen. It doesn’t matter who you put in the second car, they’ll be sent home after a few races. So, I would advise keeping Lawson and working on making the car more competitive. For sure, if I were Tsunoda’s manager, I would advise him not to go to Red Bull.”