Yuki Tsunoda urged to ‘be realistic’ after what Giedo van der Garde heard Red Bull driver say about Max Verstappen

Yuki Tsunoda will record his fourth round as Max Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull this weekend at the Miami Grand Prix, but is yet to be faster in any session together.

Red Bull gave Tsunoda his dream seat beside Verstappen ahead of his home race at Suzuka, having decided to replace Liam Lawson after just two rounds. The Japanese Grand Prix was a learning opportunity for Tsunoda, who then bettered what Lawson had achieved in Bahrain.

But after Tsunoda scored his first points as a Red Bull driver at the Bahrain Grand Prix, where he also made Q3 for the first time – both feats that Lawson never managed before returning to Racing Bulls – he and Pierre Gasly crashed on the first lap of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Yuki Tsunoda told to ‘be realistic’ thinking he can beat Max Verstappen at Red Bull

Jeddah also saw Verstappen hold his biggest margin over Tsunoda in a qualifying session so far as teammates at Red Bull. Verstappen denied Oscar Piastri pole for the Saudi Arabian GP by just 0.010 seconds, but Tsunoda only came P8 with a lap 0.910s off the Dutchman’s pace.

Tsunoda is still learning how to manage his tyres at Red Bull as the 24-year-old cannot react to the temperature of his Pirelli rubber changing in qualifying like Verstappen. But he heads to the Miami GP this weekend confident of what will be possible once everything does click.

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

Tsunoda believes ‘I would be able to’ beat Verstappen when the Japanese racer understands the complexities of Red Bull’s RB21 fully as he is still in the learning phase. Yet Giedo van der Garde has urged Tsunoda to be ‘realistic’ and happy to just get near Verstappen’s lap times.

Van der Garde told RacingNews365: “Well, I don’t see that happening. I would be realistic if I were sitting next to Max. I would tell myself that every time you stay within three, four or five tenths, you have done well.

“If you are within two-tenths once, you have driven a lap of the world, and if you are faster once or stay within one-tenth, you have had a great day. I think that’s how you have to approach it.”

Yuki Tsunoda must improve his qualifying if he wants to beat Max Verstappen in a race

Tsunoda has started strongly in each of the FP1 sessions he has spent beside Verstappen for Red Bull so far. The four-time reigning champion sat out the first free practice session for the Bahrain GP as Red Bull handed Ayumu Iwasa his drive to fulfil part of their rookie FP1 quota.

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Yet Verstappen has opened substantial margins over Tsunoda in every following session and has particularly humbled the Kanagawa native in qualifying. So, Jaime Alguersuari has urged Tsunoda to ‘wake up’ as his qualifying deficit to Verstappen in Q3 in Saudi Arabia hit 0.910s.

His average deficit to the Dutchman in qualifying is also 0.762s which is not massively far off Lawson’s 0.913s deficit through his two rounds beside Verstappen at Red Bull. But the Kiwi’s return to Racing Bulls followed being the slowest driver in both qualifying sessions in China.

So, if Tsunoda wants to have any chance of beating Verstappen in a race on merit, then the Honda-backed talent – who is still yet to finish on a podium through 95 Grand Prix entries – must improve his qualifying form at Red Bull, having only averaged P10.6 on the grid so far.