Verstappen versus Tsunoda

As F1 reaches its halfway point RaceFans analyses how each pair of team mates is performing, starting with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda.

Whatever motivated Red Bull’s decision to dispense with Christian Horner’s services last week, his handling of the team’s second car alongside Max Verstappen cannot have inspired confidence in his leadership.

Sergio Perez may have finished second in the 2023 drivers’ championship but he lagged alarmingly far behind Verstappen on pure pace. He looked like a potential liability in a close constructors’ championship fight. That proved to be the case last year, when Verstappen won the drivers’ crown on 437 points while Perez languished in eighth on 152 and McLaren took the teams’ title off Red Bull.

Despite this, earlier that season Horner saw fit to hand Perez a two-year contract extension. That was torn up after the season ended and Horner surprised many by promoting Red Bull’s less experienced junior F1 racer Liam Lawson (11 starts) instead of Yuki Tsunoda (87).

But Tsunoda didn’t have to wait long. He got his chance at the top team just two rounds later when Red Bull abruptly gave up on Lawson.

Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull, Suzuka, 2025
Tsunoda replaced Lawson as early as round three

On the face of it, Tsunoda has done little better than his predecessor. The raw numbers are shocking, as the table below spells out. They look even worse compared to Verstappen’s past team mates, particularly Carlos Sainz Jnr, who ran him so close when they made their debuts together.

In 10 races Verstappen has out-scored Tsunoda by 129 points to seven. In an ordinary situation that kind of performance would be fatal for Tsunoda’s career chances.

But Red Bull is not in an ordinary situation. Horner has been shown the door and Verstappen’s future there is in doubt. New team principal Laurent Mekies has worked with Tsunoda before, understands what he needs and may place a higher priority than his predecessor did on fielding two competitive cars instead of just one.

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While there is no question Tsunoda is operating far below the level Verstappen has shown is possible with the Red Bull, this comes with some caveats. Not least the fact Tsunoda hasn’t had all the latest parts available to the world champion, which is partly a legacy of his huge Imola qualifying crash.

Tsunoda’s qualifying performances have disappointed, but it’s important to bear in mind the field is closer than it was during Perez’s time. Qualifying half a second off Verstappen is no longer a ticket to a place in Q3. Moreover, Tsunoda has closed the gap in recent races at the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone.

As Verstappen has gone through three team mates in such a short space of time, their failure to match up to his level increasingly points to a shortcoming on the team’s part. If Tsunoda is indeed on the beginning of an upward trajectory and Mekies gives him the tools to get closer to Verstappen’s level, this may not become the career-wrecking season it threatens to be.

Tsunoda vs Verstappen: Summary

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Tsunoda vs Verstappen: Race-by-race

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Tsunoda vs Verstappen: One-lap pace

Unrepresentative comparisons omitted. Negative value: Tsunoda was faster; Positive value: Verstappen was faster

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