Red Bull need more from Yuki Tsunoda if he wants to hold onto the Red Bull race seat for F1 2026, Christian Horner has admitted.

But he has one less driver as competition with Horner acknowledging that Oscar Piastri’s new long-term contract with McLaren rules him out as a potential option.

Christian Horner: Red Bull ‘need’ more from Yuki Tsunoda

Tsunoda stepped up to Red Bull after round two of the F1 2025 season when he replaced Liam Lawson amid the New Zealander’s struggles.

But while Tsunoda achieved several firsts for the second RB21 – first Q2 appearance followed by first top-10 qualifying show and first points, his performances are not on a par with Max Verstappen’s.

In the six races since they’ve been team-mates, Verstappen has scored 100 points to Tsunoda’s seven. The Dutchman has also won races, while the Japanese driver has a best result of P9.

The disparity, as it did last season when Sergio Perez was in the second Red Bull, is hurting the team in the Constructors’ Championship where they languishing in third place.

Horner acknowledges Tsunoda has one of the most difficult jobs in Formula 1 as he’s constantly compared to a four-time F1 World Champion.

F1 contracts: Made to be broken?

👉 Revealed: The six drivers out of contract at the end of the F1 2025 season

👉 F1 2026 driver line-up: Lewis Hamilton and other drivers already confirmed for 2026

“Yuki has the hardest job in Formula 1: being Max’s team-mate,” the Red Bull team principal told Germany’s Bild newspaper.

“The constant comparisons are tough. This is not to be underestimated psychologically when you are competing against the best driver in Formula 1 – perhaps even the best of all time.

“But Yuki has done a good job so far, regularly finishing in the points.”

It begs the question: can Tsunoda hold onto the Red Bull seat in 2026?

That’s not a guarantee that Horner is willing to offer as he admits he needs to see more from the long-time Red Bull junior.

“On a personal level, Yuki fits in perfectly with the team,” he started. “He’s a good guy who contributes well to the garage.

“But if he wants to be considered for next year, he needs to keep improving.”

Red Bull’s in-house options to replace Tsunoda, should they choose to do so, are limited with Lawson not up to the task in his brief stint while Red Bull’s other F1 junior, Isack Hadjar, has impressed but is still in his rookie season.

Horner was asked to reveal his ‘dream driver’ for the second seat with Bild putting forward Oscar Piastri after the Red Bull boss talked up the McLaren driver in Netflix’s Drive to Survive.

Horner did not reply, smiling and waving off the question.

Pressed on it, he simply said: “Oscar is a fantastic driver, mentally very strong.

“He is the complete package, although he is still very young. He has a great future ahead of him – and a long-term contract with McLaren. We respect that.”

Appearing in Season 7 of Drive to Survive, Horner was asked who he’d pick between Piastri and his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris.

“Oscar,” he replied.

However as that episode aired, Piastri was taking his name out of the running for a Red Bull seat as he re-signed with McLaren, the Australian driver committing his future to McLaren in a “multi-year” deal.

Read next: Sky F1 presenter reveals details on Hadjar fan misunderstanding