Red Bull not considering Yuki Tsunoda replacement as team focused on performance

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has stated that the team's current focus is on helping Yuki Tsunoda maximise his performance rather than seeking a replacement

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has claimed that the priority is to give Yuki Tsunoda what he needs to perform rather than considering a driver replacement.

The second seat at the Milton Keynes outfit has come under a lot of scrutiny in recent years. In the last 18 months, four-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen has driven alongside three different team-mates in Sergio Perez, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda.

Tsunoda joined Red Bull ahead of his home race in Japan this year, replacing Lawson after two race weekends of the 2025 season. However, since moving up from Racing Bulls, the Japanese driver has struggled to find performance in the RB21.

Mekies, who joined Red Bull as team principal and CEO on 9 July when he replaced Christian Horner, commented on the second seat during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend.

"The priority is to give Yuki what he needs to perform," he explained to Sky Sports F1. "That's where, with regards to the second seat, that's where the priority is. It's what the team is concentrated on.

"They have been trying that for a number of races now. We are trying to find ways together to make a further step. You know, Spa was very positive, certainly from that perspective.

"Here it's a bit of a tricky weekend overall, so it's probably a bit more difficult to judge. But there is no reason why Yuki's performance cannot be what we have seen in the past. And that's what we are concentrated on right now."

Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing Team

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

Tsunoda has also spoken out on the discrepancies between his and Verstappen's performance so far this season, claiming that he cannot be directly compared until he has the same car - in terms of upgrades - as the Dutchman.

“You know, how he [Verstappen] always extracts performance consistently every session, every grand prix, is very impressive,” said Tsunoda. “It's not things that you can do very easily. And it seems like he can. It looks like he does it very easily.

“But at the same time, I just don't think it's fair to compare. And I don't want to directly compare with him because he's been here nine years in that car and I'm just jumping into the car.

“And also, I'm not – well, let's see if I get exactly the same car. Until that point, I can't compare directly.

“But until then, I'm just focused on myself because I know clearly what I can improve and I just progress in my own way, step by step.”