It appears nearly unfathomable for a title contender’s team-mate to finish up seventeenth within the Formulation 1 drivers’ standings, but that’s what occurred to Yuki Tsunoda alongside Max Verstappen at Purple Bull in 2025.
In a approach, it was unprecedented – the closest fashionable instance maybe was Felipe Massa mendacity a lowly sixteenth eight rounds into the 2012 season whereas Ferrari team-mate Fernando Alonso comfortably led the championship, however the Brazilian considerably turned the state of affairs round.
Equally, Tsunoda’s case was distinctive. Having determined to launch an underperforming Sergio Perez, Purple Bull picked Liam Lawson over Tsunoda for a 2025 promotion, believing the New Zealander’s lack of expertise could be offset by his allegedly greater potential.
Lawson didn’t get a lot time to show himself. After two grands prix through which he was eradicated in Q1 and failed to attain any factors, he was despatched proper again to Racing Bulls, with Tsunoda lastly getting his probability on the fundamental group.
On the time, the Japanese was really fairly bullish about his odds of succeeding the place so many others had failed.
“Folks typically say Purple Bull automobiles are likely to have robust front-end grip. I personally love automobiles that flip aggressively, and prior to now, I tailored my driving type to that form of set-up,” Tsunoda stated forward of his Purple Bull debut.
Liam Lawson, Purple Bull Racing
Picture by: Purple Bull Content material Pool
“Racing Bulls historically had automobiles that understeered a bit extra, which was difficult for me at first, however I acquired used to it, and it will definitely grew to become my norm. Now, the important thing might be adjusting to Purple Bull’s traits once more, however contemplating my previous expertise, I’m not too apprehensive about it.”
Maybe he ought to have been. Whereas Verstappen received eight grands prix – greater than anybody, together with 2025 champion Lando Norris – Tsunoda didn’t take a single podium end, along with his highest consequence an underwhelming sixth in Baku; he scored 30 factors to his team-mate’s 385 over their time collectively.
In 27 qualifying periods (sprints included), Tsunoda made it to Q3 eight occasions, was out in Q2 on 9 events, and was eradicated as early as Q1 on 10 occurrences. He outqualified his team-mate simply as soon as and was 0.6s slower on common.
So, what was the issue with Purple Bull’s RB21 F1 automotive? To some extent, Tsunoda stays at a loss to elucidate it.
“Usually I will perceive the automotive, what I am driving, what sort of attribute,” Tsunoda detailed on the Past The Grid podcast, “but it surely seems like even after Abu Dhabi, I did not know what sort of automotive I used to be driving. I nonetheless do not perceive what was the difficulty and what issues made me very battle to study this automotive and get used to the automotive.
“I believed confidence was there, however some race I simply one way or the other misplaced the boldness. I nonetheless do not perceive the automotive, to be trustworthy.”
Yuki Tsunoda, Purple Bull Racing
Picture by: Mark Thompson / Getty Pictures
Nonetheless, Tsunoda has fascinating perception to offer. He brazenly admits he kept away from tweaking his driving type, believing that’s simply what works for him. Nonetheless, he did find yourself making an attempt out Verstappen’s set-ups – and that experiment simply failed.
“One factor about myself: I’ve sufficiently big ego to not change my driving type,” Tsunoda admitted. “I do know what I am doing by way of driving and I imagine in myself. So, I by no means attempt to change my driving type to a different driver’s, although the motive force is aggressive and quick.
“Clearly for Max, it is a completely different case. He is a world champion, he proves quite a lot of issues and I nonetheless be taught quite a lot of issues from his driving.
“My core driving is identical. And at a while, in all probability the primary 12 months out of any years since I began, I considered altering driving type and making an attempt to do one thing much like Max. However in my perspective, if I simply take a look at knowledge, I did not actually see an enormous distinction by way of driving.
“What I did most – and what I believe now was the most important mistake final 12 months – was to attempt to replicate the set-up, what he is doing; even figuring out that generally, if I really feel the automotive very oversteer, Max’s [set-up] in principle makes the automotive worse, extra delicate within the course change, or makes the automotive slide extra.
“I have a tendency to decide on the set-up, although I am already scuffling with oversteer. It may occur generally the alternative approach as effectively: although I am scuffling with understeer, his automotive is extra understeer. I attempt to replicate that.”
Max Verstappen, Purple Bull Racing, Yuki Tsunoda, Purple Bull Racing Workforce
Picture by: Zak Mauger / LAT Pictures by way of Getty Pictures
Tsunoda will not be the primary driver to unsuccessfully try to make use of Verstappen’s set-up. Alex Albon additionally struggled alongside the Dutchman, for a 12 months and a half, in 2019-20.
Again in 2023, the Anglo-Thai reminisced within the Excessive Efficiency Podcast: “[Verstappen] has fairly a novel driving type, it’s not that straightforward to get together with. Everybody has a driving type; I might say my driving type is a little more on the graceful facet, however I like a automotive that has an excellent entrance finish, so fairly sharp, fairly direct. Max does too, however his stage of sharp and direct is an entire completely different stage – it’s eye-wateringly sharp.
“To provide individuals form of possibly an evidence of what which may really feel like, in case you bump up the sensitivity [on a computer game] fully to the max and you progress that mouse and it’s simply darting throughout the display in every single place, that’s form of the way it feels. It turns into so sharp that it makes you somewhat bit tense.”
This metaphor was introduced as much as Tsunoda, however he wasn’t satisfied it was significantly related to the RB21. Requested if he might relate, the Japanese racer stated: “Sure and no. First, the automotive is lots completely different to when Alex was driving and I’ve by no means pushed Alex’s automotive.
“It is delicate, however I did not really feel that delicate. However on the similar time, like I stated, it was very up and down. Some tracks I am driving extra delicate automotive than him, some tracks he was driving extra delicate. On common, in all probability he was driving a bit extra delicate automotive, extra like a sharper automotive than me.
“What he was undoubtedly higher at was, although the automotive was delicate and even numb… In a nook, there’s all the time one part or one second that the automotive naturally reacts to, or tries to form of respect its personal behaviour. You recognize what I imply? Like, all the time within the nook, as quickly as I flip in or no matter, that automotive does its personal factor. That may be like a delicate, sharp rotation or, I do not know, the entrance slides or one thing. He’s ready to make use of that and he can odor that form of behaviour in all probability a lot sooner than me. And he was in a position to maximise that form of behaviour all through the nook.
“It isn’t essentially my driving type that I am doing, but when I’ve that form of moments, sharp turn-in or rotation or the entrance slide, I are likely to power the automotive how I need to drive. I usually respect how the automotive desires to drive via the nook, or I’m ready to make use of that form of pure behaviour from the automotive. However I wasn’t ready to make use of that means a lot within the Purple Bull.”
Yuki Tsunoda, Purple Bull Racing
Picture by: Zak Mauger / LAT Pictures by way of Getty Pictures
As quickly as he first drove the RB21 in free follow at Suzuka, Tsunoda’s early optimism gave strategy to warning; he reported the automotive was “feeling a bit extra tough” than on the simulator.
With hindsight, it was an indication of the ordeal to come back.
“Though I stated, yeah, I believed I had confidence, in all probability it was not sufficient, as a lot because the VCARB automotive that I drove for 4 years,” Tsunoda stated. “Purple Bull continues to be a automotive that was fully completely different, which I felt as quickly as I stepped into that automotive in Suzuka.
“There’s some confidence stage I used to be in a position to construct up, however to maximise that complete efficiency, I believe that was in all probability one thing I used to be lacking, and looking for that confidence all year long.”
Tsunoda ultimately discovered in Qatar, on the penultimate spherical of the season, that he wouldn’t be retained as a race driver and would act as a reserve in 2026 – no big shock given his outcomes, and the marketing campaign had been so draining that the information really was a reduction to him.
“I nonetheless keep in mind the moments,” he recounted. “Initially, what I acquired instructed was from Helmut [Marko, then Red Bull’s motorsport advisor].
“In the long run, Helmut is the individual that introduced me into Formulation 1, introduced me even to the Purple Bull junior programme. We have been collectively since once I was 17, 18. I keep in mind he was additionally fairly disenchanted about that.
Yuki Tsunoda, Purple Bull Racing, Helmut Marko, Purple Bull Racing
Picture by: Mark Thompson – Getty Pictures
“And once I acquired instructed, I nonetheless keep in mind, I did not really feel that a lot of giant disappointment or devastated feeling.
“Clearly I used to be nonetheless disenchanted and fairly unhappy that I am not driving subsequent 12 months. However not as I anticipated as a result of I do not know why, one way or the other in a approach, I fought actually laborious. I fought greater than ever in that 2025 12 months and even when I look again now, I haven’t got a lot remorse. I gave every little thing.
“In a approach, actually, my coronary heart was simply saying, ‘Okay, now I might be relaxed’. As a result of it was so traumatic, the second half of the 2025 season, the place I fought laborious with quite a lot of strain. Like I used to be by no means in a position to form of breathe out a lot.”
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