Yesterday at 07:25
Red Bull sister team CEO Peter Bayer has insisted Yuki Tsunoda
simply requires "time" to improve, although admitted the Japanese
driver's struggles have surprised him. Tsunoda has endured a
difficult start to life as a Red Bull driver, following his
promotion from Racing Bulls after just two races to replace Liam
Lawson. Lawson had, initially, been chosen over Tsunoda as Sergio
Perez's replacement for the 2025 campaign, following 11 appearances
for the second Red Bull outfit over a two-year period. It led to
initial speculation over whether Tsunoda would ever drive alongside
Max Verstappen, particularly has he had become the leader of Racing
Bulls throughout 2023 and 2024. From the Japanese GP, he has been
in the second Red Bull seat next to the four-time world champion,
but has failed to deliver strong results. He has suffered from
four Q1 exits in the last grands prix, and has gone seven
consecutive races without a point – a Red Bull driver record. In
total, Tsunoda has scored just seven points in his 12 events for
the Milton Keynes-based outfit, with his best qualifying result of
the year having been for Racing Bulls in Australia. His
difficulties have caught Bayer by surprise, having seen him perform
so strongly for the sister team. Asked by PlanetF1 if Tsunoda's
struggles have surprised him, Bayer replied" "Yes, I would lie [if
I said I wasn't]," "I've seen him, the potential, his performances,
and his mindset. I've seen his physical preparation. I saw a Yuki
as strong as I've never seen him before, but everything else,
honestly, I don't know. "I haven't spoken to Yuki about why it is
[so difficult]. I think he just needs time. I think it's probably
just a very difficult car to drive, because that's the difference
to our car. "Ours is much more forgiving, wider window, but it's
not as fast. That's the difference."
