Tost couldn't understand Red Bull's choice: 'Was always a mistake'

Tost was team principal at the current Racing Bulls (previously called Toro Rosso and AlphaTauri) team not only during Max Verstappen's debut, but also for Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson.

The Austrian was also asked by Red Bull's management about who should Verstappen's next teammate, after the departure of Sergio Perez.

"I told them: 'Take Yuki, he has the experience, he's been in Formula 1 for four years, and he can do it'," he said to F1-Insider.

In the end, the Austrians opted for Lawson, but the New Zealander's stint with them team ended just after two weekends.

"No, that doesn't surprise me at all, because it was a wrong decision from the start," says Tost. "He is faster and has more experience, so there's not much more to say."

In Bahrain, Tsunoda finished in P9, and therefore scored his first points for Red Bull Racing.

"Yes, it was reasonable," says Tost after the Japanese driver has also completed two weekends so car.

"To effectively apply tyre management during a race, you need to know the car, the road holding, and the balance in detail. He hasn't had enough time for that yet. That's why it was so important for him to be in the car from the beginning, so he could participate in all the tests. But well, that's all in the past, he just needs to perform now", Tost concluded.

This article was written in collaboration with Ludo van Denderen