Yuki Tsunoda has experienced an intense 2025 Formula 1 season so far. He began the year with the AlphaTauri team, competing in two races, before making the significant step up to Red Bull. There, he replaced New Zealander Liam Lawson, who returned to AlphaTauri after last season, and became the new teammate of reigning world champion Max Verstappen.
Reflecting on the first part of the season, Yuki Tsunoda acknowledged that apart from Verstappen, the Red Bull car has not consistently shown front-running competitiveness. Despite this, he remains positive about the progress he and the team have made, especially as he has seen the gap to Max Verstappen shrink race after race.
“Looking back at the season so far, I feel quite optimistic. We’ve made progress, especially since the new floor updates were introduced at Spa,” Yuki Tsunoda told f1.com. “The gap with Max continues to shrink. It might not seem like we are getting closer, but on paper, we are only a tenth behind his pace. I don’t think many other drivers could get this close to him.”
The Japanese driver continued his analysis, emphasizing the work still required during the mid-season break: “We need to understand where we went wrong and work hard during the summer break so that we don’t start the second half of the season the same way we ended the first. It’s frustrating, but we will stay positive and come back stronger.”
Yuki Tsunoda’s reflections highlight his determination and focus, as well as his ability to adapt quickly to the challenges of racing alongside one of the fastest drivers on the grid. His ongoing development within the Red Bull team suggests that he is steadily closing the performance gap, demonstrating his potential to be a key contributor to the team’s future success.
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