Yuki Tsunoda's Red Bull F1 future "open" until post-summer break review

Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko has given an update on Yuki Tsunoda's contract with the Milton Keynes outfit.

The Japanese driver joined Red Bull ahead of his home grand prix at Suzuka after rookie Liam Lawson failed to impress the team in the first two race weekends of 2025. Since his arrival, Tsunoda has collected points in just three grands prix and is currently on an unfortunate run of not scoring any points in the last seven grands prix.

With Max Verstappen confirmed for a seat in 2026, the question of his future team-mate remains unanswered. Marko explained to F1-Insider that "everything is open".

"We traditionally make our driver evaluations after the summer break, and then it will be decided how the driver line-up for next year will look, perhaps partly even later," he explained. "At present, everything is open… We’re evaluating performances. No decision has been made either way."

Red Bull has struggled to find a team-mate for the four-time champion over the last 18 months who is able to extract a similar level of performance from the car. But while Tsunoda has not been able to score points to prove it, he feels he has seen an improvement since joining the squad.

"I can say confidently that I'm progressing every race," Tsunoda told F1.com during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend. "It's not the result that I want – or that I'm hoping for.

"But at the same time, I'm not doing anything wrong. There are a few things I could do better, but that's part of learning. I just have to keep doing what I'm doing. I'm learning race by race – a lot from Max. I'm just adding up the performance on top of the performance I have in every race. I'm in good shape.

Helmut Marko, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Mark Thompson / Getty Images

"I just have to put it all together a bit more precisely and also confidence that I need to progress, which is getting there, but it's Formula 1. It's not an easy thing to do."

Tsunoda was reunited with his former Racing Bulls team chief Laurent Mekies when he stepped in to replace Christian Horner as Red Bull Racing CEO and team principal. Marko noted Mekies's management style as a positive for Tsunoda.

"On a purely personal level, he is someone focused on the matter at hand," Marko said of Mekies. "That means success and team leadership are his priorities. He stands with both feet on the ground. That was also evident in the conversations with the drivers, which this time focused more on the technical details.

"And especially with Yuki Tsunoda you could see - in the race, or at least in qualifying - that a step forward had been made. There is a different atmosphere. It's a different style. And that's what Red Bull basically always wanted."