Chaos at Red Bull only grows: Tsunoda distrusts Verstappen and where is Marko?

11:38, 03 Apr

Updated: 12:00, 03 Apr

byTim Kraaij

Why Yuki Tsunoda had not been promoted for years may have become clear during the press conference in Japan. With multiple statements, the Japanese caused a stir and revealed things that perhaps he should not have and his comments about Max Verstappen will likely put Red Bull Racing on edge.

Liam Lawson was surprised to hear that he could pack his bags after only two races. He can still race for Racing Bulls, but the call from Christian Horner - yes, really just a phone call - was something the Kiwi did not see coming.

Lawson had expected more patience, that the team would have taken various setback into account: the problems with his car in Bahrain testing and Australia that limited running and the fact that he did not yet know the first two circuits of the season. In Japan, where he had raced multiple times, Lawson could have boosted his confidence with a good result.

Lawson contradicts Horner

However, Lawson was not given that chance. Horner talked about protecting Lawson and helping him rebuild his self-confidence. Lawson restrained himself, but made it clear that this was not the case. The demotion has done nothing to aid that.

Liam Lawson on Thursday prior to the Japanese GP

Where you would have expected the most interesting, perhaps fiery quotes from a disappointed Lawson, they actually came from Tsunoda. Firstly, he wanted to keep the details of a first call from Horner hidden, yet gave a hint to initial talks on the Monday after the race in China.

In the first few days, Tsunoda had to keep it a secret. Confirmation followed a few days later but by that point, the news had already been widely spread in the press.

Tsunoda revealed conversations with with Pierre Gasly and Sergio Perez. Friend and former teammate Gasly could have given him tips on what he could do better than the Frenchman did in his half season for at the team.

Has Tsunoda learned from Gasly?

When asked if he had spoken with Verstappen, Tsunoda suggested that he did not believe the Dutch driver would tell him the truth. Yuki wanted to experience for himself how the RB21 drives and according to his own words, he does not need help from a four-time world champion.

Tsunoda wants to work with his own engineers and figure out how to get the best out of the RB21 by himself. Something his good friend Gasly did to the annoyance of Red Bull in 2019. Gasly had to pay the price after half a year. Albon and Perez, who looked much more at what Max did, were given more time by the team.

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Yuki Tsunoda did not hold back during the press conference in Japan

Where has Helmut Marko been?

Perhaps even more surprising is that Tsunoda had not heard from Helmut Marko. The talent scout who calls every driver after a grand prix to discuss what went well or poorly had not reached out. Tsunoda found it strange that this had not happened, but hoped to speak with Marko in Japan to hear his thoughts.

Earlier, GPblog reported that Marko was absent from an important technical meeting about the RB21. Marko is not a technical figurehead, but some present found it remarkable that he was not there.

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