Max Verstappen's Latest Teammate Given Glowing Review by Red Bull F1 Team - 'Speed is Right, As is His Approach'

Red Bull Racing pulled off a fairly quick driver swap at the start of the 2025 Formula 1 season when the swapped Liam Lawson for Yuki Tsunoda, who was at their sister team Racing Bulls. 

Swapping Lawson for Tsunoda was a move criticised by many, but it seems Red Bull are happy with how Max Verstappen's newest teammate is doing.

The Austrian team have made it a habit to make knee-jerk driver changes in recent F1 history but, based on the assessment from their motorsport advisor Helmut Marko, it seems the team like what they have seen from the Japanese driver so far. 

Marko Praises Tsunoda

The former Austrian F1 driver said that both Tsunoda's approach and speed are right and that his deficit to Verstappen in qualifying is acceptable as of now. 

"An interim assessment of Yuki Tsunoda in the second car after his first three weekends with Red Bull Racing. His speed is right, as is his approach. When things get serious in qualifying, he loses time to Max, but the normal range is two or three tenths," Marko wrote on Speedweek.

It is glowing praise, especially when considering the fact that many in Red Bull were reluctant to promote the Japanese driver due to temperament issues. 

ALSO READ | Lewis Hamilton Issues Defiant Public Statement Amid Poor Start to Stint at Ferrari, Puts Retirement Rumours to Rest

Big Things Expected

What's more, their analysis of his doomed Saudi Arabian GP 2025 - where he crashed with Alpine's Pierre Gasly on the opening lap - could have seen him finish in a decent points position. 

"A crash like the one with Gasly on the first lap of the Saudi Arabian GP can happen. According to our calculations, he could have finished sixth. And that’s a huge step forward, because before him, our second car rarely came close to the top ten." 

Lawson, it is worth noting, did not come close to scoring points for Red Bull during his doomed stint at the main team so it will be interesting to see how Tsunoda progresses in that regard.