During his time at Red Bull, Helmut Marko built a reputation as one of the most unforgiving decision-makers in Formula 1.
That reputation was never more evident than in his final season with the team. While he wasn’t solely responsible for every call, especially early on, Marko’s influence grew after Christian Horner was let go in July.
In the autumn of 2024, Red Bull dropped Daniel Ricciardo, a seven-time Grand Prix winner in their colours, from the Racing Bulls line-up in favour of Liam Lawson. At the end of the season, Lawson was called up to the top team following the termination of Sergio Perez’s contract.
Lawson only lasted two races before being replaced by Yuki Tsunoda, who finally got his shot after debuting back in 2021. Despite getting a run of 22 Grands Prix, Tsunoda rarely made a strong impression.
Marko then looked to Isack Hadjar as F1’s brightest young prospect. Rather than giving Tsunoda a soft landing at Racing Bulls, he promoted Arvid Lindblad straight from Formula 2.
Richard Wood backs Yuki Tsunoda’s place in F1, despite Red Bull struggles
Few people in the paddock have had a closer view of Red Bull’s second driver challenges than Richard Wood. Over the last two seasons, he’s been trackside with Perez, Lawson and Tsunoda.
Wood told AS-Web that Tsunoda had run into some bad luck along the way. The 25-year-old wrapped up the season 17th in the standings with 33 points.
But he was still “loved by everyone in the team.” And on talent alone, Wood believes Tsunoda should still be on the grid. He’ll stay connected to Red Bull for 2026, taking up a reserve driver position.
“The good thing about Yuki is that he has a pure nature that allows him to say good things are good and bad things are bad,” Wood said. “Sometimes those words were very harsh, but I understand that this is because he never slacked off and always gave it his all, no matter the situation.
“I loved that attitude of his. He was unlucky in many races, and there were many where the results were not what he wanted. It’s a shame because he could have achieved much better results.”
“Yuki was a very nice guy and was loved by everyone in the team,” Wood added. “I know he has the talent to stay on the grid and I hope that one day he will race in F1 again.”
Potential F1 Destinations for Yuki Tsunoda in 2027
Ted Kravitz has expressed doubts about Tsunoda’s chances of making it back onto the grid. His relationship with Honda was key to his place at Red Bull, but now that the team is producing its own power units, that link has weakened.
Honda now powers Aston Martin, though realistic options there are limited. Lance Stroll’s seat isn’t expected to open up any time soon, given his father Lawrence owns the team.
With Alonso expected to retire, Aston Martin are reportedly looking to bring in a big name like Verstappen or another top-tier driver.
That leaves Tsunoda looking elsewhere. Alpine and Haas are two teams where seats may become available ahead of the 2027 season, and they’re understood to be on his radar.
Read More Like This:
- How Laurent Mekies is quietly changing the culture at Red Bull
- Why Helmut Marko was sent a £6,000 bill by ex-Red Bull star Sergio Perez
- Helmut Marko issued Isack Hadjar ‘multiple’ warnings about 2026 before leaving Red Bull
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