Red Bull working on less aggressive set-ups for Yuki Tsunoda to mitigate a repeat of the Liam Lawson fiasco
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko shared that they as a team will work on "less aggressive setups" to help Yuki Tsunoda avoid the struggles faced by Liam Lawson. The Austrian team shocked the world of motorsport after they decided to switch Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda just two races into the 2025 season.
The Kiwi driver was given a shot at the senior team after impressing everyone with his two short outings in the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls in 2023 and 2024. Notably, he replaced Daniel Ricciardo on both occasions. He was promoted to the Milton-Keynes outfit with just 11 races under his belt over his much-experienced teammate Tsunoda.
Although Red Bull believed that the 23-year-old had a higher ceiling than the Japanese, the former was demoted after his two disastrous weekends in Australia and China. Liam Lawson was unable to handle the characteristics of the RB21 as well as Max Verstappen and languished on the back rows of the grid.
The four-time F1 world champion has a unique driver style that has not been comfortable for his teammates thus far. Speaking with Formel1.de, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko said that Verstappen liking a more front-loaded car was "accurate" and gave suggestions on how they will help Yuki Tsunoda from Suzuka with it, saying:
"Yes, that is an accurate description and that is what makes it so difficult to be the second driver. But we have already thought about setting up the second car differently, with a less aggressive setup. That is something that makes it easier to drive."
Yuki Tsunoda had earlier been looked over by the Red Bull hierarchy as not having a strong enough mentality required at the highest level.
Red Bull advisor remarks the reason behind swapping Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko expressed his belief that Yuki Tsunoda has made strides in the sport in terms of his technical feedback, which was previously his weak point.
As quoted by the aforementioned source, the Austrian reflected on the 24-year-old and said:
'This is Yuki's fifth year and experience is a huge factor in these situations. Yuki has said several times that he is actually the best man for Red Bull Racing. We put him in the simulator two or three times and those sessions were very good. Also his technical feedback, which he was criticized for in the past, was very solid."
When asked if Honda played a role in Tsunoda's hiring, he added:
"It's a coincidence that this is happening right when Japan is the next race. Of course, Honda is happy with the decision, that's clear, but that wasn't a decisive factor. Honda's involvement ends at the end of this year anyway. That was not decisive and was not a reason to make this decision.”
Yuki Tsunoda had earlier tested the RB20 in the young driver test in Abu Dhabi at the end of the season finale and gave positive feedbacks regarding the handling of the car.