Yuki Tsunoda has dismissed claims that he misses his time at Racing Bulls, even though he continues to struggle with Red Bull’s Formula 1 car. At the recent Spanish Grand Prix, Tsunoda had a particularly difficult outing, being knocked out in Q1 with the slowest time. This performance capped off a disappointing triple-header in which he managed to secure just a single point, contributing to Red Bull’s drop to fourth in the Constructors’ standings.
Tsunoda’s recent struggles have become more evident as his performance gap to teammate Max Verstappen has widened. Meanwhile, his former Racing Bulls teammate, Isack Hadjar, has flourished in his absence, outperforming Tsunoda in both results and consistency. Liam Lawson, who effectively swapped seats with Tsunoda, has also managed to out-qualify him since the change, further highlighting the difficulty Tsunoda is having adapting to the Red Bull setup.
There’s a growing belief that the VCARB 02, Racing Bulls’ current car, offers a more stable and manageable driving experience compared to the demanding RB21. Despite this, Tsunoda insists he doesn’t long for his former team. Speaking to reporters, he stated that he’s content at Red Bull and focused on the challenge it presents. He acknowledged the Racing Bulls’ progress but emphasized that his attention is firmly on improving within Red Bull.
Reflecting on his performance in Spain, Tsunoda claimed that the race felt unusual and “not right.” He brushed off the poor result, suggesting it was more of an anomaly than a trend. While he conceded that his season has been inconsistent, he took comfort in moments where he showed pace comparable to Verstappen. Tsunoda stressed that while there is still a lot of ground to cover, he finds motivation in the occasional flashes of competitiveness.
Tsunoda remains confident in his ability to close the performance gap to Verstappen. He highlighted that Verstappen’s edge in qualifying comes from an ability to extract the final tenths under evolving track conditions—an area where Tsunoda admits he still needs to improve. He said he’s still getting used to how the RB21 behaves and hasn’t yet developed full trust in the car, which limits his ability to push it to its limits.
Despite the setbacks, Tsunoda is optimistic that with time and experience, he’ll be able to unlock more potential from the car. He understands the nuances that separate good from great laps and is working on adjusting to the RB21’s demands. The challenge of mastering such a complex vehicle, he suggests, is part of what drives him forward, as he aims to match and eventually rival the pace of a world champion teammate.
