The Immediate Replacement
Even before the start of this season, when Red Bull announced the signing of Liam Lawson as Max Verstappen’s new teammate, there were many questions surrounding the Milton Keynes team’s decision to back the New Zealander instead of Yuki Tsunoda, a more experienced Formula 1 driver. In fact, after just two races, the Japanese driver was promoted to replace his former Racing Bulls teammate—right in time for his home Grand Prix.
The Disappointments
The move to Red Bull seemed like the long-awaited step forward in Yuki Tsunoda’s Formula 1 career but, at least for now, his performances have been far from convincing. In seven races, his best result has been 9th place in Bahrain, with just two other points finishes. The contrast with Max Verstappen’s results is stark, with Yuki Tsunoda once again highlighting the ongoing struggles faced by those who have shared the Red Bull garage with the four-time world champion in recent years.
The last Grand Prix in Spain was one to forget for car #22: last in qualifying and 13th in the race after starting from the pit lane. As if that weren’t enough, the late-race safety car did no favors for either him or Verstappen in their push for the top 10. “Without the safety car, maybe it would have been enough to score points,” the 25-year-old explained in a statement reported by speedweek.com. “But it is what it is: the car didn’t improve much from the first free practice session. Starting from the pit lane is obviously never ideal, and we knew we had to try something to move forward. We also experimented with a few setup changes, but unfortunately, they didn’t work this time.”
Hopes for Canada
Next week, however, Formula 1 heads to Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix, a track where Yuki Tsunoda has never scored points in his career. Nonetheless, with the possibility of receiving components already used by Verstappen and with an ongoing development plan at Red Bull, Yuki Tsunoda has a real opportunity to redeem himself at the North American race. “We have an idea of how we can improve for Canada and I hope we’ll succeed. We’re still not where we want to be, but we continue working hard to improve and consistently deliver strong performances.”
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