Could an ‘upward trend’ save Yuki Tsunoda’s Red Bull career?

Sam Cooper 21 Oct 2025 4:00 PM

Yuki Tsunoda faces a nervous wait to find out his Red Bull future.

Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko has been encouraged by an “upward trend” from Yuki Tsunoda as a decision over his F1 future looms.

Tsunoda has five races remaining on his Red Bull contract with the team set to make their decision over next year’s lineup.

Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull future assessed by Helmut Marko

Max Verstappen is currently the only Red Bull driver who is certain over his future with Tsunoda, Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson all hoping to retain their seats heading into the new season.

That is no certainty though with the likes of Arvid Lindblad pushing for a spot, leaving Red Bull with a decision to make.

One of the drivers thought to be most at risk is Tsunoda who after being dropped into the Red Bull seat at short notice has scored just 28 points, 278 fewer than his team-mate.

In Austin, Tsunoda started 13th but rose to seventh, even after a tangle with Oliver Bearman, and Marko said he was pleased with what he saw from the Japanese driver.

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“He had a very good start and was competitive when he had a clear run,” Marko told Sky Deutschland. “So there is an upward trend there as well. He’s stabilising and that’s very important in the world championship fight.”

As for the 2026 decision, Marko suggested it was not the “priority” given Verstappen’s title push but did say it was “planned” to make a decision after the next Grand Prix.

“That’s not our priority at the moment,” Marko said. “In general, this is planned. Let’s see to what extent we can decide then.”

As for Tsunoda, he said results will be crucial to him keeping his seat next season.

“My pace was really, really good,” Tsunoda said after the race in Austin.

“I was able to make up a few positions in the first few laps, and my overall pace wasn’t bad. I could have done a little better in the second stint – I think I managed it a little too much – but it was positive to get points in both races this weekend. We need to keep doing that.”

Asked if the results were crucial to keeping his seat, Tsunoda didn’t hesitate. “Yes, it’s definitely important because that’s what I have to do,” he said.

“It’s also very important to fight to move up in the constructors’ championship. The team hasn’t given up – and of course we haven’t given up on Max’s championship either.

Especially now we have to focus on improving our short runs. I don’t think we can attack like that on the first lap every time, so our main goal now is to start from further forward and fight with the top teams.”