Active FIA steward Derek Warwick said he is “a little confused” as to why Red Bull cannot give Yuki Tsunoda’s RB21 a set-up more suited to him.

Suggesting that the Red Bull RB21 is “by far the most difficult car on the grid”, one which only Verstappen can tame, Warwick believes that Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mates are left with an “impossible” task, with Tsunoda having struggled to impress since stepping up to the senior team.

Can a Red Bull RB21 set-up change transform Yuki Tsunoda?

Liam Lawson lasted only two rounds alongside Verstappen at Red Bull before being sent back to the junior Racing Bulls squad, with Tsunoda moving the other way, but since that switch, Tsunoda has also encountered difficulties, scoring just seven points across his seven race weekends.

Verstappen has provided 137 of Red Bull’s 144 points with the team sat P4 in the Constructors’ Championship, Tsunoda the latest driver to falter in the second Red Bull alongside reigning four-time World Champion Verstappen.

But, FIA steward Warwick – four-times a visitor to the F1 podium, who most recently appeared as a steward at the Miami Grand Prix in May – believes Red Bull has the means to make the second RB21 more driveable for Tsunoda with tweaks to the set-up.

“I think that the Red Bull car is by far the most difficult car on the grid and it’s only Max that can drive it,” he told a gambling platform.

“It’s so on the nose, it’s oversteering everywhere, which is what Max obviously likes but anybody that sits in that car just can’t drive it the same way.

“So, the whole team is driven to do what Max wants, which makes it impossible for everybody else.

“But if I was team boss, I wouldn’t change the direction they are going.

“I’m a little confused why they can’t set up the car a bit differently for Yuki, to be a bit quicker. I think all drivers like to be comfortable in a car.”

But, that being said, Warwick adds: “Some of us like understeer, some like oversteer. But in terms of grand prix drivers, they are the best in the world.

“They should be able to accommodate any ill handling of a car.”

F1 2025 driver head-to-heads

👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between team-mates

👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates

Tsunoda’s lack of form has sparked the rumour mill into action over a potential future promotion for Isack Hadjar, who has impressed as an F1 2025 rookie with Racing Bulls, collecting 21 points.

However, the team are keen not to see him depart anytime soon.

“For heaven’s sake, don’t take this talent away from us too soon,” said Racing Bulls chief executive Peter Bayer on Hadjar, as per Blick.

“He should get to know the whole business by the end of 2026.

“Until then, we’ll just have to handcuff him!”

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