Yuki Tsunoda just repeated dreadful Liam Lawson moment for Red Bull at Miami Grand Prix

Yuki Tsunoda was knocked out in the first segment of Sprint qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver will start the Saturday race from 18th place.

Tsunoda made a mistake at the final corner on his opening lap in the 12-minute session. That left him in the drop zone heading into his final run on the mandated medium compound.

The Japanese driver wasn’t even able to set another time as multiple drivers failed to make it to the start/finish line in time. They left the pit lane late, and there was too much traffic on their outlaps.

Red Bull have brought an upgraded floor to the race in Florida but it’s only on Max Verstappen’s car. Tsunoda is well aware of his place within the team’s hierarchy.

The 24-year-old has scored two points since he took on the seat at his home race. This is the second time he’s failed to reach the top-10 shoot-out.

Yuki Tsunoda emulates Liam Lawson with Miami Grand Prix SQ1 exit

Tsunoda’s contract expires at the end of the season, and he needs to prove he’s a clear upgrade on Liam Lawson and Sergio Perez, otherwise speculation over his future will inevitably surface.

Helmut Marko demanded a qualifying improvement from Tsunoda, and while he’ll be judged most of all on his Saturday performance, this will add to the Austrian’s concerns.

The Sprint weekends pose a unique challenge, with only 60 minutes of practice before a competitive session. Perez failed to reach SQ3 three times last year, but never qualified as low as 18th.

Tsunoda also emulated Lawson, who was knocked out in SQ1 in his sole Sprint appearance for Red Bull in China. There were mitigating circumstances, but the result is an ugly blemish on his record.

Martin Brundle pinpoints the ‘unfortunate’ Max Verstappen moment that cost Yuki Tsunoda

When Tsunoda ran out of time, Sky Sports F1 commentator Martin Brundle was left grimacing.

“Ouch,” he said. “That’s the problem when they were stuck back there. He was the first driver to take the flag.”

However, a later replay revealed that he was potentially compromised by teammate Verstappen at the end of the lap. Tsunoda seemed hesitant to pass the Dutchman, who lingered on the outside.

“That was so unfortunate, wasn’t it?” Brundle said. “I think he did just hover there waiting for Max to hit the throttle and get on with it.”

Christian Horner has been hugely impressed by Isack Hadjar, who made it to SQ3 on Friday. The Racing Bulls rookie is the standout alternative if Tsunoda fails, but it’s still early.