Red Bull Acknowledges Sacrificing Tsunoda's Points in Mexico GP, Yet Praises His Performance

Despite Red Bull openly admitting to compromising Yuki Tsunoda's chances for points at the Mexico Grand Prix, the team's principal, Laurent Mekies, expressed significant satisfaction with the Japanese driver's performance. Tsunoda's P11 finish, often overlooked, earned praise for his underlying pace and execution.

Why it matters:

Yuki Tsunoda's ongoing struggle to consistently match Max Verstappen in the second Red Bull car has been a recurring theme. This public acknowledgment of strategic decisions impacting his points, coupled with strong internal praise, signals Red Bull's complex evaluation of its driver talent pool, especially as they delay critical 2026 driver decisions.

The Details:

• Qualifying Pace: Tsunoda failed to reach Q3 for the 15th time in 21 sessions but recorded his second-smallest deficit to Verstappen in Q2, just 0.211s, indicating improved raw speed.
• Race Start: He impressively gained two positions on the first lap, moving from P10 to P8.
• Strategic Sacrifices: Red Bull extended Tsunoda's first stint until lap 36. This strategy was designed to force frontrunners like Oscar Piastri, Kimi Antonelli, George Russell, and Lewis Hamilton to overtake him, providing a buffer for Max Verstappen's pitstop.
• Pit Stop Woes: A slow tire change cost Tsunoda nine seconds, which likely prevented him from scoring points. He finished only 3.6 seconds behind Esteban Ocon in ninth place.
• Driver's Frustration: Tsunoda expressed significant frustration, stating, "Easy points... it was pretty much out of my control." He felt he maximized what he could control.
• Team's Perspective: Mekies confirmed the team "killed a few points that he would have scored on merit" by leaving him out longer and the subsequent long pitstop.
• Pace Comparison: Mekies highlighted Tsunoda's first stint pace, claiming he was "two tenths, three tenths from Max, on the same very long first stint on the medium." However, actual data, excluding outliers, suggests the average deficit was over four tenths.

The Big Picture:

Red Bull faces a two-fold problem in its driver line-up strategy for 2026, including its sister team, Racing Bulls. They struggle to find a driver who can consistently challenge Verstappen in the second car, with previous drivers like Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez, Liam Lawson, and Tsunoda all falling short. Simultaneously, they are keen to promote their promising proteges.

What's next:

Red Bull has delayed its driver decisions, initially planned for around this time, until "around Abu Dhabi." This delay suggests a careful evaluation of their current roster and rising talent.

• Internal Candidates: While Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda are in contention, young talents like Isack Hadjar (currently favored for a Racing Bulls seat) and Arvid Lindblad (impressive in his Mexico FP1 debut, outpacing other rookies and even Tsunoda in a non-competitive session) are being closely watched.
• Lindblad's Impact: Lindblad's performance in FP1 was praised by Mekies, who noted his calm demeanor, accurate feedback, and error-free driving.
• No Rush: Mekies reiterated that Red Bull is "not in a rush" and will "take all the time we need, give these guys as many chances as they can have to demonstrate on track who are the best."

This extended evaluation period indicates Red Bull's commitment to securing the best possible talent for its future, even if it means sacrificing immediate points for its current drivers.