Yuki Tsunoda’s tenure with Red Bull could be on a precarious precipice, as whispers from the Formula 1 paddocks suggest the Japanese driver may face an untimely exit before the curtain falls on the 2025 season. This stunning possibility was voiced by none other than former Haas team principal, Guenther Steiner, who did not mince words while dissecting Tsunoda’s future during a candid discussion on the Red Flags Podcast. In Steiner’s own words, “Yuki Tsunoda needs to make points. Otherwise, I really think latest end of the year he’s out of there, but it could be before.”
The stakes are high for Tsunoda, who stepped into the Red Bull cockpit with the shadow of Liam Lawson’s departure looming over him. The team had pinned its hopes on Tsunoda to be a reliable point-scorer alongside the formidable Max Verstappen. Nevertheless, Tsunoda’s track record this season reads a different story, with points scored in only three races, starkly placing him below Isack Hadjar and Lawson in the drivers’ standings.
Steiner, voicing a sentiment that echoes through the paddocks, remarked, “As much as we love Yuki, because I love him as well, he needs to bring the performance. I think this is saying ‘we let Christian Horner go, we changed Liam Lawson, so it’s one of those things, if he doesn’t shape up, he will not be there for a long time anymore.” His words strike a chord with the relentless pursuit of excellence that characterizes Red Bull’s philosophy.
The winds of change have already swept through Red Bull, evidenced by the shocking dismissal of team principal Christian Horner post-Silverstone, a move that sent ripples through the motorsport world. This decision underscores the team’s readiness to make bold moves in pursuit of glory, especially as speculation swirls around Verstappen’s future amid suitors like Mercedes.
The 2025 season has been a tumultuous one for Red Bull, as their once-dominant form has waned, leaving Verstappen trailing Oscar Piastri by 69 points in the drivers’ championship. The second car has been a particular Achilles’ heel, struggling to crack the top 10 irrespective of whether it’s Perez, Lawson, or Tsunoda behind the wheel. Yet, Verstappen’s prowess in securing pole positions, as seen at Silverstone, only amplifies the performance gap with Tsunoda, who finds himself overshadowed by the rising stars like Hadjar.
As the F1 world turns its spotlight on Red Bull’s next moves, the question looms large: Will Yuki Tsunoda rise to the occasion, or will he become the next casualty in the team’s relentless drive for supremacy? With the pressure mounting, all eyes are set on the upcoming races, where every lap could be a lap closer to a career-defining decision.
