Yuki Tsunoda explains pace gap with Max Verstappen: “Helmut Marko didn’t realize the difference in packages”. Yuki Tsunoda aims to reverse his negative streak in the last 10 races of 2025.

Challenges for Yuki Tsunoda

Since becoming a Red Bull driver, Yuki Tsunoda has scored just 7 points in 12 Grands Prix. The Japanese driver has also finished outside the points in the last seven race weekends. Only he and Franco Colapinto have been unable to move the championship standings in the seven Grands Prix leading up to the summer break. For this reason, it is crucial for Tsunoda to reverse this negative trend starting from the Dutch Grand Prix, marking Formula 1’s return to the track.

Speaking to journalists at Zandvoort, the 25-year-old also responded to the criticism he received from Red Bull team advisor Helmut Marko, who has not held back from making harsh comments about his driver. “I definitely need to show more,” the Japanese driver acknowledged regarding his performances behind the wheel of the RB21, “but in reality the last two races before the summer break helped me a little.”

Package issues

Yuki Tsunoda explained that in the last races before the break, he was finally able to align with the specifications used by Max Verstappen. “Probably many people, especially Helmut, didn’t notice the difference between Max and me in terms of packages. As soon as they introduced [the new package], my pace suddenly improved significantly.”

“In Hungary, the difference between Max and me was very small right from the free practice sessions,” Yuki Tsunoda concluded, “and this shows that I might have potential. So I plan to continue doing what I’ve been doing, but at the same time I still need to put everything together for the entire race weekend. I can’t rely only on pace. I need to score points. That’s what I prepared for during this summer break: I just need to score as many points as possible.”