Yuki Tsunoda scored his latest points as a Red Bull driver in the Miami Grand Prix after doing just enough to ensure Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar did not clinch 10th place.
Only 0.168 seconds separated Tsunoda and Hadjar after completing 57 laps around the car parks that line Hard Rock Stadium last Sunday. But that slender margin might have flipped in favour of the latter if the Racing Bulls gem did not make mistakes on the final lap of the race.
Hadjar overcommitted on the final lap of the Miami GP trying to keep within five seconds of Tsunoda knowing the Red Bull racer had a five-second penalty after speeding in the pit lane. But while Hadjar often moved within the time range needed, he fell short at the final hurdle.
So, Tsunoda held onto his P10 finish, and added the one point to the three that he inherited for P7 in the F1 Sprint, for which Red Bull started the 24-year-old from the pit lane. Tsunoda only finished ninth but gained after Alex Albon and Oliver Bearman’s Miami Sprint penalties.
Helmut Marko feels Yuki Tsunoda ‘still’ makes mistakes when he feels pressure at Red Bull
Red Bull opted to start Tsunoda in the pit lane for the Miami Sprint after qualifying just 18th for the 19-lap event. The Japanese star was even 1.293 seconds slower than teammate Max Verstappen in SQ1, during which Hadjar also beat Tsunoda’s best lap time by 0.852s for P12.
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| Position | Constructors’ Standings | Points |
| 1 |
McLaren Racing |
246 |
| 2 |
Mercedes-AMG Petronas |
141 |
| 3 |
Red Bull Racing |
105 |
| 4 |
Scuderia Ferrari |
94 |
| 5 |
Williams F1 Team |
37 |
| 6 |
Haas F1 Team |
20 |
Tsunoda felt Red Bull were partly to blame for his poor Sprint Qualifying, though, after only attempting one flying lap in SQ1. He took issue with Red Bull’s ‘pretty poor’ communication after Tsunoda did not complete his out lap in time to start a flying lap by less than a second.
The Kanagawa native showed he had more pace in qualifying for the Miami GP by reaching Q3. But Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko feels Tsunoda showed at the Miami GP that he ‘still’ makes mistakes when the Honda academy product feels he is under pressure.
Marko explained to OE24: “Yuki’s getting better and better. He’s the first teammate who can get a taste of Max’s performance. Unfortunately, when the pressure increases, he still makes mistakes.”
Yuki Tsunoda showed Helmut Marko at the Miami GP why Red Bull are considering his future
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner spotted a ‘pattern’ with Tsunoda’s qualifying at the Miami GP, as well, after only managing to get P10 on the grid with his Q3 effort. Horner has noticed since Tsunoda replaced Liam Lawson at Red Bull that he is often ‘overdriving’ in Q3.
READ MORE: Who is Racing Bulls 2025 F1 driver Isack Hadjar? Everything you need to know
His inability to find more pace compared to the Japanese gem’s Q2 times, plus the mistakes that Marko spotted across the Miami GP meet, also only add to the pressure the 24-year-old faces for his future given Red Bull are growing impatient with Tsunoda and may replace him.
Red Bull only gave Tsunoda a contract for the remainder of the 2025 F1 season when he left their junior team Racing Bulls to replace Lawson. But despite taking points in the Sprint and the Grand Prix in Miami, his only prior points at Red Bull were from his P9 in the Bahrain GP.
Additionally, Red Bull see Racing Bulls rookie Hadjar as a potential replacement for Tsunoda, having been impressed by the 20-year-old’s early results with their junior team. The Parisian has five points in his first six appearances after coming P8 in Japan and P10 in Saudi Arabia.
