Yuki Tsunoda’s Red Bull Struggles: Under the Harshest Spotlight in Formula 1

As the 2025 Formula 1 season hits full momentum, Yoshihide “Yuki” Tsunoda finds himself at the center of one of the championship’s most intense debates. While the rise of Red Bull’s Japanese charger has been filled with highlights and moments of promise, his current run with the senior team has been marked by a series of setbacks—leading to growing speculation about his future, the Red Bull second seat itself, and what promotion to the parent squad really means for young drivers in the Red Bull system.

A Promotion as a Poisoned Chalice?

On paper, Yuki Tsunoda’s rise through the Red Bull ranks tracks exactly how the junior program was designed to operate: a season in F2, an apprenticeship in the then-AlphaTauri/Racing Bulls, and a promotion alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing. Yet, in reality, the step up from the B-team to the A-team has exposed Tsunoda to a pressure cooker environment like no other in F1.

Expectations for Tsunoda were never higher. After fending off internal competition from the likes of Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson, outscoring them, and providing flashes of racecraft and pace, Yuki seemed ready to take the next step. Instead, several things have gone painfully wrong.

A Difficult Debut: Barcelona and Beyond

The 2025 Spanish Grand Prix was emblematic of Tsunoda’s struggles this year. Despite encouraging words from Christian Horner and Helmut Marko, Tsunoda finished dead last in qualifying on pure pace, with no mitigating traffic or weather excuses. The gap to Verstappen—who fought for pole—couldn’t be ignored.

After qualifying P20, Tsunoda admitted on team radio he was at a loss, “sliding a lot” with no rear grip and unable to unlock further pace, no matter the setup tweaks on the RB21. “Whatever we made in terms of setup changes, it was always a cluster of feelings and it’s just not giving an overall step forward,” he told the media, his confusion palpable.

Christian Horner, addressing reporters, was clearly puzzled: “Yuki struggled all weekend, and we went up a little bit on the downforce to try and help him, but it’s difficult to understand that. He’s going to have to make up quite a few places from there.” Marko, usually blunt in his assessments, has shown more patience than usual, but even his tone hints that Tsunoda is on borrowed time.

The Brutality of Red Bull’s Second Seat

For Red Bull, this isn’t just about sympathy for a struggling young driver—it’s about the championship. Since Daniel Ricciardo left the team at the end of 2018, Red Bull have cycled through Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez, Liam Lawson, and now Tsunoda, searching for the ideal complement to Verstappen. None have lasted more than a couple of seasons, and all but Perez have found renewed form after leaving—raising questions about the culture and expectations in Milton Keynes.

Tsunoda’s 10 points so far in 2025, three of which came during his Racing Bulls stint before his mid-season promotion, are underwhelming for a title-contending team. Mistakes, such as his costly crash at Imola, have compounded the pressure. With Red Bull sliding down the constructors’ championship and Verstappen taking on the burden almost alone, the talk about replacements is inevitable.

Who’s Next, and Does the Promotion Help?

Attention now turns to possible successors. Ayumu Iwasa and Isack Hadjar are regularly mentioned, and Arvid Lindblad’s rapid rise through F2 is being watched closely by Red Bull’s management. But the underlying question persists: Does promotion to Red Bull genuinely offer an opportunity, or is it a setup for failure?

Even outside voices are questioning the situation. Nico Rosberg, the 2016 World Champion, said, “There is no way someone can convince me that the second Red Bull car is easy to handle for any driver out there.” David Croft, a leading Sky F1 commentator, weighed in as well: “Red Bull is a championship-winning team, and it’s not an unrealistic ask for that second driver to be within two or three tenths of Max. But the facts are, Tsunoda is not a race-winning driver yet. The second seat seems cursed.”

Carlos Sainz, once rumoured as a contender for a Red Bull return, openly confirmed talks fell through: “Red Bull didn’t want me for various reasons. People who know Formula 1 probably know why… I have nothing against them or their decision-making.” It’s a tacit acknowledgment that perhaps Red Bull’s system—and Verstappen’s dominance—puts a ceiling on any teammate’s prospects.

The “Toxic” Pressure Cooker

The effect of this pressure is visible. Even as Horner insists, “It’s early days for Yuki… he’s fast, he just has to piece it all together,” the public patience wears thin. The fate of Gasly and Albon—thriving at Alpine and Williams respectively—serves as both cautionary tale and hope for Tsunoda, should he depart.

Growth in such an environment is next to impossible. The car is inevitably developed around Verstappen’s driving style, maximizing his strengths, and while the second car is theoretically identical, the results suggest it’s anything but accessible for Verstappen’s teammates.

A Narrowing Window for Yuki

For Yuki Tsunoda, the situation is grim. If the performance gaps persist, it’s likely he will exit the Red Bull family entirely. “If 2025 doesn’t work out between Yuki and Red Bull, I guess we can call it quits on his F1 career,” one observer noted, and it’s a sentiment echoed now by fans and pundits alike.

As for the next generation—Hadjar, Lindblad, and others—being “promoted” to Red Bull may not be the opportunity it appears. The second seat is high-stakes, high-pressure, and, in Max Verstappen’s shadow, perhaps almost impossible.

Conclusion

Yuki Tsunoda’s Red Bull struggles highlight a larger, systemic challenge. The second Red Bull seat remains the grid’s most visible poisoned chalice, and until that changes, whoever follows him is likely to face the same daunting task.

How should Red Bull proceed, and is it fair to keep sacrificing young talent at the altar of team dominance? Let us know your thoughts.