Yuki Tsunoda failed to reach Q3 for the second race in succession at the Monaco Grand Prix. Tsunoda is set to start the race from 12th.
Red Bull generally lacked pace on Saturday, with even world champion Max Verstappen only fifth-fastest. The Dutchman was over seven-tenths off Charles Leclerc’s pole time.
But the problem for Tsunoda was that he was six-tenths behind his teammate in the second segment of qualifying. On a 2.1-mile lap that lasts just over 70 seconds, that’s a particularly large margin.
Tsunoda crashed heavily during qualifying at Imola last weekend. He was able to recover to 10th after a pit-lane start, but it will be more difficult to make progress at the tightest circuit on the calendar.
He will be one of the drivers hoping that the mandatory two-stop rule works in his favour by mixing up the running order.
Yuki Tsunoda fumed over the team radio after Monaco Grand Prix Q2 exit
Tsunoda finally got his chance at Red Bull at the third round of the 2025 season when Liam Lawson was demoted. He was the longest-serving driver ever at the sister team by that point.
Despite his strong results, he was denied a promotion for years. Red Bull had concerns about Tsunoda’s temperament after a string of team radio outbursts.
In a revealing interview last year, Tsunoda likened himself to a Monsters Inc character. It was a self-confessed weakness, but one that he worked on.
Indeed, Tsunoda studied Verstappen’s radio messages, as well as those of Oscar Piastri. Impressed by his calmer demeanour, Christian Horner green-lit his ascension.
But amid a difficult spell, Tsunoda is allowing frustration to creep into his communications.
“Mate… it’s so unfair, honestly,” he complained after his elimination. “I knew it was going to happen like this, I knew it.”
Red Bull have now asked Yuki Tsunoda to play the Liam Lawson role
It’s unclear why exactly Tsunoda was upset. It may be that he wasn’t happy with the run plan in a notoriously hectic session.
But on a weekend where he also swore over the radio after encountering traffic, he might have drawn some unwanted attention from Helmut Marko.
- READ MORE: Red Bull told that Yuki Tsunoda has now uncovered a ‘larger problem’ within the team since his Racing Bulls promotion
To make matters worse, both Racing Bulls drivers made it into Q3. Lawson starts a season-high P9, with Isack Hadjar up in sixth.
Tsunoda is running the same experiment as Lawson this weekend as Red Bull split the aerodynamic strategy between their cars. There’s a clear hierarchy in place at the Milton Keynes outfit.
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