Red Bull's true opinion of Yuki Tsunoda behind-the-scenes has been revealed ahead of his debut for the team at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Tsunoda, who started the 2025 season with the Racing Bulls team, has been promoted to the Red Bull team after just two races.
Liam Lawson, meanwhile, has been demoted to the Japanese driver's now-former team from Suzuka onwards.
Lawson failed to collect a single point in either of his two race weekends with Red Bull, who reportedly decided to make an early change after assessing data which compared the Kiwi's performances to Max Verstappen.
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Tsunoda, meanwhile, only picked up three points from Australia and China, but ran as high as fifth and seventh in the two Grands Prix respectively only to be denied points by poor strategies and, in China, a bizarre front wing failure.
The 25-year-old has competed four full seasons in Formula 1 with the Racing Bulls team, with advisor Helmut Marko claiming the only reasons he hadn't been previously promoted was due to his past demeanour over team radio and his, at times, consistency.
Both those factors have improved over recent seasons - and Tsunoda's pure speed and ability to give thorough feedback on the car was never in doubt to Red Bull.
Racing Bulls CEO Peter Mayer, speaking last month, explained how Red Bull engineers reacted to seeing the Japanese driver test for the team in Abu Dhabi last December.
"I remember when he did the test with Red Bull Racing," he recalled. "It was confirmed by the Red Bull Racing engineers, who said, 'Honestly, the feedback from Yuki was excellent'.
"There was absolutely nothing to criticise. It's more structured, it's spot on, he's giving them accurate feedback to make sure the car is going faster."
Tsunoda, meanwhile, said in December that he was told he had 'impressed' the Red Bull hierarchy - and claimed he could have done no more to prove that he deserved a race seat.
"I heard a lot about how impressed they were, particularly with my feedback. This came not only from the trackside engineers but also from the engineers supporting remotely.
"They mentioned how impressed they were with my input."
Where will Yuki Tsunoda finish in his first race for Red Bull at the Japanese Grand Prix? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Topics: Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing, Formula 1
Ryan Smart