Yuki Tsunoda surprised by Helmut Marko’s ‘very unusual’ actions since Red Bull promotion to replace Liam Lawson

Helmut Marko has left Yuki Tsunoda shocked ahead of his debut for Red Bull at the Japanese Grand Prix as the Austrian has done one thing he had never done before.

Suzuka will see Tsunoda take the wheel of the RB21 for the very first time this weekend after Red Bull demoted Liam Lawson back to Racing Bulls. The Kiwi enjoyed just two rounds at the energy drinks brand’s main team but did not show team boss Christian Horner he was ready.

Lawson had a miserable debut for Red Bull at the Australian Grand Prix after the 23-year-old crashed on slick tyres amid the late rain. His results would not improve at the Chinese Grand Prix, either, with Lawson slowest in both qualifying sessions and just P12 in the feature race.

Now, Tsunoda has moved up to partner with Max Verstappen at Red Bull from his home race at the Japanese GP and Lawson returns to Racing Bulls. Yet how Red Bull motorsport advisor Marko has acted since the Milton Keynes outfit changed their line-up has surprised Tsunoda.

Yuki Tsunoda finds it ‘very unusual’ Helmut Marko did not contact him after Red Bull promotion

Marko did not attend Red Bull’s crisis meeting after the Chinese GP with Horner, Verstappen and their technical team. Yet the Austrian has been busy since Shanghai, with Marko stating Verstappen is ‘not happy’ with Red Bull demoting Lawson and fielding an array of questions.

But, to Tsunoda’s surprise, Marko did not call the 24-year-old to acknowledge his promotion from Racing Bulls to Red Bull. The Austrian’s actions stunned the Kanagawa native as Marko always phoned Tsunoda as he rose the ladder after joining the Red Bull Junior Team in 2019.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda’s life outside F1 from height to parents

“Surprisingly, he hasn’t called me yet,” Tsunoda said during the Thursday press conference at the Japanese GP. “That’s very unusual. I’m not sure if he’s been busy with other things.

“But I can’t wait for our meeting and to see how he’ll react because it’s unusual. From Formula 3 to Formula 1, he’s always called me when something like this has happened.”

Helmut Marko believes Yuki Tsunoda expected to replace Liam Lawson at Red Bull

Marko oversees the Red Bull Junior Team and has a big say in how Red Bull not only handle their emerging talents but also their F1 driver pool, with the team in the unique position of having two crews with Racing Bulls. Tsunoda joined the Red Bull fold ahead of his F3 debut.

READ MORE: Who is Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko? Everything to know

Yet the Japanese ace was left scratching his head at the Austrian’s decision to not reach out after joining their main team. Marko has claimed Tsunoda expected Red Bull would demote Lawson, as well, adding intrigue to why he would not make contact upon it being confirmed.

Now, the main thing for Tsunoda is to show he can adapt to the RB21 faster than the man he replaced. Lawson is adamant he needed more time to learn how to take the most out of Red Bull’s tricky car. But Red Bull cannot gift Tsunoda time with the constructors’ title on the line.