Writing off Red Bull’s hopes of the constructors’ title, Helmut Marko suggests that the team will persevere with Yuki Tsunoda.
Nine races into the season and it is ironic that the Japanese driver’s best qualifying result thus far was with Racing Bulls in Australia, while his best race result also came with the Faenza-based outfit, sixth in the Shanghai Sprint, which admittedly he repeated in Miami.
Other than that he has been pretty much missing in action, even his radio comms having become remarkably muted.
Sergio Perez’ replacement, Liam Lawson lasted two races before being shown the door, the New Zealander relatively flourishing since his return to Faenza, while friends and family will be urging Isack Hadjar to ignore any invitations to Milton Keynes.
Since joining Max Verstappen, Tsunoda’s best qualifying has been 8th in Jeddah, while ninth in Bahrain remains his best race result.
Writing in Speedweek, Marko hints that Tsunoda will remain in the car for the remainder of the season, while claiming that the popular driver is unable to adapt to the RB21.
“In the Constructors’ Championship, we’ve already written off the overall victory, so we don’t have any chance,” admits the Austrian. “Of course, this is related to the second driver, because Yuki Tsunoda is slow to get going.
“Yuki is often only a tenth of a second behind in the free practice sessions,” he continues, “but when it comes to qualifying, the gap opens up.
“Then the pressure is there, and it is more difficult under pressure. In addition, he can’t adapt as quickly as Max, who doesn’t need a period of acclimatisation.
“For Yuki, on the other hand, the car is not yet so present, he has more trouble there, and of course there is always adjustment work, because you try a lot when you are in the back.”
For his part, Tsunoda has consistently complained of something being “not right” with the RB21, which is known to be extremely erratic.
However, for once Marko doesn’t appear to be adding pressure to the second driver.
“He needs more time and he will get it,” he writes. “We assume that he will be in the car until the end of the season.”
