Jacques Villeneuve claims Yuki Tsunoda should be “worried right now” as Isack Hadjar is showing Red Bull that he’s ready to step up.

Red Bull announced after race two of the F1 2025 championship, the Chinese Grand Prix, that Tsunoda would replace Liam Lawson as Max Verstappen’s newest team-mate.

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Having been overlooked as Red Bull initially kept faith with Sergio Perez, then trailed Daniel Ricciardo in preparation to potentially replace Perez, it was Lawson who eventually claimed the second Red Bull seat.

His stay was short-lived, just two races, before the strain of being unable to get close to Max Verstappen proved too much, and he was demoted to Racing Bulls, with Tsunoda finally getting an opportunity at Red Bull.

He too has fallen short of Verstappen’s benchmark, scoring seven points in their five races as team-mates while the Dutchman has brought in 88.

He also put Red Bull in a “really critical”, as Helmut Marko put it, spare parts situation when he destroyed his RB21 in a huge crash in qualifying at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix with a “hero” lap that left Tsunoda feeling “very ashamed, disappointed”.

But while that raised eyebrows, Marko insisted to Sky Deutschland: “You have to give him security and support. And we will do that.”

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But for how long?

Red Bull are a team that in the past have been brutal in culling drivers, especially if there is potentially someone better waiting in the wings.

And according to 1997 World Champion Villeneuve, there is.

“If I were Tsunoda,” Villeneuve said on Sky F1, “I would be worried right now.

“Remember, Tsunoda was only ever there because of Honda. They didn’t put him in the main car last year because they don’t want Tsunoda. But they didn’t have a choice when Lawson wasn’t up to scratch.

“And they’re afraid that Hadjar is just too young, not ready, let’s not burn him. But he’s showing now that he might be ready.”

Hadjar continued to impress at the Imola race where he qualified and finished ninth, adding to his points tally which is up to seven. He’s yet to be beaten by Lawson, despite the New Zealander having been considered good enough for a Red Bull race seat.

For now, though, Red Bull are sticking with Tsunoda with Christian Horner applauding his recovery drive on Sunday.

“The most important thing with that was that he jumped out of it [the accident] okay,” he told the media, including PlanetF1.com, after Tsunoda’s P10 finish. “And I thought, actually, his race today, he was very committed.

“He raced hard and well to come from the pit lane into the points when the grid is so tight. The strategy worked out well for him as well. He drove a good race.

“So, you know, it’s just a shame, if he had qualified in Q3 where he should have done, he would have been even further up. But hopefully that will come in the coming races.”

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