Helmut Marko has now told Yuki Tsunoda which area he must improve in to succeed at Red Bull, ‘has to learn…’

Yuki Tsunoda has finally been afforded his chance at Red Bull in the 2025 Formula 1 season. But after just three races, struggles have already been apparent.

Red Bull have had an issue with Max Verstappen’s teammates for years, with all of them since Daniel Ricciardo’s departure, struggling to find performance. This ‘second seat curse’ continued in 2025 with Liam Lawson.

The New Zealander was called up from Racing Bulls to replace Sergio Perez, despite having less experience than Tsunoda and being outperformed by the Japanese driver in 2024. Christian Horner and the Red Bull hierarchy believed Lawson had a higher ceiling than the 24-year-old.

However, Horner would be proved wrong as the Kiwi driver desperately struggled with the RB21. Lawson failed to reach Q2 in the opening two races, crashing out in Melbourne and finishing 14th from last on the grid in Shanghai.

Lawson lost total confidence at Red Bull as he could not get to grips with the car. The team opted to demote him back to Racing Bulls for the remainder of the season, with Tsunoda taking the seat from the Japanese Grand Prix onwards.

Racing Bulls CEO Peter Bayer felt the swap was ‘not good news’ for the team as there was great harmony with Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar on board. The former has been an improvement on Lawson so far, but it is clear that improvements need to be made.

Helmut Marko tells Yuki Tsunoda he must perform under pressure in Q3 to succeed at Red Bull

On his Red Bull debut, the Japanese driver was knocked out in Q2 and could not make progress in the race due to the dirty air, finishing 12th. Tim Coronel blasted Tsunoda’s performance, stating he had to ‘at least score points’ while Verstappen won the race.

In Bahrain, Tsunoda got the second RB21 into Q3 for the first time in 2025 and scored points to finish ninth. He repeated that feat in qualifying in Saudi Arabia, but crashed out after four corners in a collision with Pierre Gasly.

Two points from three races is not what Red Bull would have expected from Tsunoda, but qualifying has been the clear weakness for the 24-year-old. While he reached Q3 in Jeddah, he was almost a second off of Verstappen’s pole time.

Jaime Alguersuari told Tsunoda to ‘wake up’ after seeing the ‘unacceptable’ pace deficit to his teammate. It seems Red Bull are looking to address that issue, with Helmut Marko giving Tsunoda a clear instruction.

Journalist Ronald Vording asked the Austrian via Motorsport Italia for his impression of the 24-year-old, to which he responded: “Positive, but he has to learn to perform under pressure in Q3.” Putting his car in the top 10 is one thing, but getting close to Verstappen is the main concern that needs adressing.

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Yuki Tsunoda has high aspirations at Red Bull but should he be more realistic?

The Japanese driver has displayed some encouraging signs in his brief stint at Red Bull thus far. Horner has been impressed by Tsunoda’s attitude since joining the team – it had previously been a concern of his.

Naturally, the 24-year-old has high targets at Red Bull and he will have to perform to a high standard. Tsunoda is out of contract in 2025 and could be out of F1 come the end of the season if he fails to deliver.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding his future, the Japanese driver is looking to take the fight to his teammate and beat him. Damon Hill loves Tsunoda’s attitude towards Verstappen, but given the Dutchman’s status in the team, it may be unrealistic for him to achieve this.

Giedo van der Garde urged Tsunoda to ‘be realistic’, thinking he can beat Verstappen at Red Bull. While he has found stronger pace than Lawson, the deficit to his teammate is still alarming and has to improve if he wants to succeed.