Not only is Yuki Tsunoda’s Red Bull future under scrutiny, but his very place in Formula 1 is on the line. Tsunoda, long overlooked for the second Red Bull seat alongside Max Verstappen, finally got his chance in 2025. In truth, he is more of a default candidate — every other driver paired with Verstappen has barely lasted a full season.

The list of drivers who have failed to go toe-to-toe with Verstappen is a long one. Red Bull has never hesitated to axe an underperforming teammate, and Tsunoda is struggling to adapt and keep pace. It’s hard not to conclude that the car has been engineered specifically to suit Verstappen’s driving style.

Initially, Red Bull passed over Tsunoda and instead promoted the inexperienced Liam Lawson. Lawson talked a good game but was severely exposed after making the jump from the sister team, Racing Bulls.

Just two races into the 2025 season, Red Bull panicked, effectively sacking Lawson and promoting Tsunoda. Yet Tsunoda has fared no better — and the irony is that Lawson has even out-qualified his former teammate, or rather his “not-quite-teammate.

With the F1 season entering the final stretch of a long campaign, Yuki Tsunoda sits 19th in the drivers’ standings, and time is running out for the experienced Japanese driver who was expected to provide stability, consistency, and a steady haul of points.

The Wrath of The Mad Dog

Tsunoda’s struggles have triggered the radar sensors of Red Bull’s romper-stomper, Lucifer-in-human-form — “Mad Dog” Helmut Marko — who didn’t hold back after Tsunoda’s wayward performance at the Italian Grand Prix.

Marko barked to the media that Tsunoda suffers from a mental block during qualifying and urged him to stay calm during flying laps.

Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies, however, isn’t too concerned, even going so far as to contradict the Mad Dog. He insisted Tsunoda had been doing a good job — at least over the past three races — while still acknowledging that improvements are necessary.

As is often the case with Red Bull, a replacement is already waiting in the wings: Isack Hadjar. Still in his rookie year with Racing Bulls, Hadjar has impressed with mature, consistent performances, placing him 9th in the current standings with 38 points. Tsunoda, meanwhile, languishes in 19th with just 12.

It seems certain that Red Bull will replace Tsunoda with Hadjar in 2026 — but will Tsunoda simply move back to Racing Bulls? Even that possibility appears to be under threat.