Red Bull drop latest Yuki Tsunoda verdict after postponing F1 2026 driver decision

Purple Bull have been impressed with Yuki Tsunoda’s efficiency on the Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix regardless of the very fact he failed to attain factors.

Tsunoda narrowly missed out on in Q3 however ran contained in the factors within the first stint on the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez and had been battling with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, earlier than finally coming house eleventh.

The Japanese driver is constant to combat for his F1 future however Purple Bull have delayed their resolution on their 2026 driver line-up to focus all their efforts on attempting to ship Max Verstappen a fifth world championship.

There may be an expectation throughout the paddock that Tsunoda might be changed at Purple Bull by Isack Hadjar for subsequent season. With Purple Bull junior Arvid Lindblad tipped for F1 promotion with Racing Bulls, the ultimate seat could possibly be a straight battle between Tsunoda and Liam Lawson.

However Purple Bull will wait till after the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to make a last name.

“Yuki had his finest weekend in a very long time. We’ve mentioned that a number of instances, however it’s true,” Purple Bull crew principal Laurent Mekies mentioned in Mexico. 

“He was very, very shut in quali to Max, I feel it was two tenths in Q2. In the present day, the primary stint was very, very sturdy as nicely – two tenths, three tenths from Max, on the identical very lengthy first stint on the medium.

“Then after, you understand, truthful sufficient, we left him out a bit longer as a result of it was a bonus for us to do this, and we had a barely lengthy pitstop. So we killed a bit a number of factors that he would have scored on advantage.

“And naturally, it is one of many the reason why we wish to take a bit extra time earlier than we decide on the drivers. Yuki is making steps ahead, the opposite children are making steps ahead as nicely, so we now have no purpose to hurry the choice. We’ll take a bit extra time.”

Tsunoda annoyed to overlook out on ‘straightforward factors’

Tsunoda was left annoyed on the finish of Sunday’s race and felt Purple Bull had thrown away “straightforward factors”.

He was on the identical technique as teammate Verstappen however pitted later than his rivals and got here out in visitors, that means Tsunoda was unable to utilise the additional tempo from his comfortable tyres.

“In the present day was straightforward factors, we simply threw it away,” Tsunoda mentioned. “It’s what it’s, it’s nonetheless racing. The constructive is the tempo was fairly okay, so one thing to take.

“Simply preserve progressing and continue to learn, and that’s what I’m doing. However this sort of state of affairs, lacking out on factors that have been straightforward, and we may take as we speak, P8, P7, I don’t know. Irritating.”