Yuki Tsunoda continued his fine start to the 2025 Formula 1 season at the Chinese Grand Prix on Saturday. Tsunoda finished sixth in the Sprint race and then secured another top-10 starting position.
The Racing Bulls driver had starred in Australian Grand Prix qualifying last weekend, snatching fifth on the grid. Pound-for-pound, he was arguably the standout driver on the grid.
Tsunoda was on for a significant haul of points before the late rain shower that jumbled the running order. But he didn’t have to wait long to score as he secured his best-ever Sprint result in Shanghai.
Teammate Isack Hadjar outdid Max Verstappen and qualified seventh for the main Grand Prix, two spots ahead of Tsunoda. A mistake cost the Japanese driver on his final run.
Nevertheless, he’ll be confident of overhauling the rookie on race day. Tsunoda is out of contract at the end of the season, so it’s vital that he impresses potential suitors.
Yuki Tsunoda interview suspended after he started talking about Red Bull pace advantage
Tsunoda was overlooked for a Red Bull seat at the end of last season when the team opted to replace Sergio Perez. His short-term teammate Liam Lawson got the nod instead.
However, Lawson has made an abject start at Christian Horner’s team, with his qualifying results reading P18, P20, P20. He also crashed out of the Australian GP.
Inevitably, given the team’s ruthless track record, Tsunoda was asked about the renewed possibility of a Red Bull seat in his post-qualifying interview. Verstappen says Lawson would be better off at Racing Bulls right now because the car is easier to drive.
But Tsunoda would jump at the chance to partner the world champion. Aware that he might produce a damaging soundbite, Racing Bulls’ press officer apparently ended his interview early.
Speaking on the PitPass podcast, journalist Julianne Cerasoli said: “The best moment in Yuki’s press conference was when he was asked if he would like to drive the Red Bull after Liam Lawson finished another qualifying dead last.
“He said, ‘of course, because this car is faster than mine,’ and somebody said, ‘do you really think it’s faster than yours?’
“He said ‘oh yes’, and then knowing how things would end up with this interview, the Racing Bulls press officer just took him away and said ‘this is over, this is over’, although Yuki clearly wanted to say a few more things.
“I spoke with some people with access to a lot of data. They said that Liam has been very messy with the car, clearly feeling the pressure.
“His body language is terrible. It’s not hard to end up in a bad spiral.”
When Red Bull will make decision on Liam Lawson amid Chinese Grand Prix woes
Helmut Marko confirmed that Lawson was under pressure when speaking to reporters in the Chinese Grand Prix paddock. He said ‘F1 is a competitive sport’, meaning poor performances have consequences.
Behind the scenes, the team’s hierarchy are alarmed. Red Bull will demand an improvement from Lawson at the Japanese Grand Prix, otherwise they could reassess their driver line-ups.
Lawson hadn’t driven the Albert Park or Shanghai circuits before, though his fellow youngsters have been more competitive this weekend without any experience. He also knows Suzuka well, so won’t have any excuses.
Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon and Perez have all lost Red Bull drives after brutal defeats against Verstappen. The recurring pattern arguably raises wider questions beyond the performance of the individuals in the cockpit.
Leave feedback about this