Yuki Tsunoda lamented a lack of grip in qualifying for the 2025 F1 Spanish Grand Prix after the Red Bull driver could only secure P20 on the grid in Barcelona this Saturday.

The 25-year-old does not have the exact same specification of parts on his car at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as Max Verstappen, who was the best of the rest behind McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Yet Helmut Marko refuses to believe his P20 is acceptable.

Tsunoda was the slowest driver of all during qualifying, despite Alpine star Franco Colapinto suffering a mechanical failure in Q1 in Spain. The Argentine could not complete the opening part of qualifying, but he still finished ahead of the Red Bull driver by 0.051 seconds for P19.

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Helmut Marko confirms Red Bull will ‘discuss’ Yuki Tsunoda’s unacceptable Spanish GP qualifying result

Tsunoda’s RB21 differs from Verstappen’s car as Red Bull are unable to offer the Japanese driver replacements for some of the parts he destroyed at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix two rounds ago. Red Bull saw Tsunoda crash in qualifying at Imola without a lap time in Q1.

He even radioed Red Bull during qualifying for the Spanish GP to ask the team to check if he sustained floor damage when Tsunoda tried to be slightly more aggressive through the final corner. But the Kanagawa native feels his problems in Barcelona even extended back to FP1.

Tsunoda told Motorsport.com after qualifying for the Spanish GP that, “From the first flying lap in the first practice I said on the radio that something was not right.” Red Bull could not help Tsunoda to feel more comfortable with his RB21, though, as his want of grip persisted.

But Red Bull adviser Marko also told Motorsport.com that the team from Milton Keynes will now ‘discuss internally’ the performance Tsunoda managed in qualifying for the Spanish GP. Tsunoda’s 1:13.385 time for P20 was 0.587s slower than Verstappen’s 1:12.798 for P2 in Q1.

“This performance is disappointing,” Marko said in Barcelona. “On Friday, he was relatively close to Max. And now, in qualifying, nothing worked at all. To finish dead last, even if the car is not completely identical, is something we have to discuss internally.”

Could Red Bull demote Yuki Tsunoda back to Racing Bulls and promote Isack Hadjar?

Red Bull promoted Tsunoda to replace Liam Lawson in March, having decided after only the first two rounds of the 2025 F1 season that the 23-year-old was not who the team required to help Verstappen retain the drivers’ championship against McLaren duo Piastri and Norris.

Lawson had secured the same promotion from Red Bull’s junior team, Racing Bulls, as Sergio Perez cost the Milton Keynes squad the defence of the F1 constructors’ championship. Now, it is Tsunoda who is costing Red Bull, who are 176 points behind McLaren after eight rounds.

Red Bull have told Tsunoda that he will get the rest of the 2025 F1 season, but how likely the team are to honour their pledge remains to be seen with the Kanagawa native scoring seven points since his promotion. Isack Hadjar has given Racing Bulls 15 points in the same stretch.

The 20-year-old could even be on his way from Faenza soon now that Marko has confirmed Red Bull need to discuss Tsunoda’s lack of performance. Red Bull see Hadjar as an option to replace Tsunoda, but would ideally want to leave the Parisian at Racing Bulls until next year.

It would not be out of character for Red Bull to demote Tsunoda and promote Hadjar from Racing Bulls during his rookie season, though. Pierre Gasly lasted just 12 rounds at Red Bull in 2019 before they demoted the Frenchman for Alex Albon amid the Thai’s rookie season.

Hadjar also continues to astound, especially in qualifying with the Racing Bulls rookie again the second-best Red Bull driver in Q3 at the Spanish GP with P9. He was just 0.404s slower than Verstappen in Q3 and also qualified P6 in Monaco with a 0.254s gap to the Dutchman.