Yuki Tsunoda’s performance at the Japanese Grand Prix in Formula 1 received many praises from Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, who compared it to the impressive performances of Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso. Tsunoda, who outperformed his teammate Daniel Ricciardo for the fourth consecutive race, secured a spot in Q3 and finished in 10th place. Despite initially losing positions at the start, Tsunoda took advantage of a red flag situation to regain positions and earn valuable points. Marko praised Tsunoda’s overtaking maneuvers and described his weekend as flawless and a great performance under the pressure of his home race.
While Tsunoda has expressed his ambition to be promoted to Red Bull, Marko also acknowledged Sergio Perez’s great start in 2024. Perez, whose contract expires at the end of the season, secured three second places in the first four races, putting him in second place in the standings. Marko praised Perez for his solid performances and highlighted a great maneuver he made against Lewis Hamilton.
Regarding Perez’s future with Red Bull, Marko mentioned that a decision will take longer to be made. He attributed early speculation in the transfer market to factors such as Hamilton’s early announcement about his move to Ferrari and Audi’s interest in Carlos Sainz. Marko stated that Red Bull Racing will not participate in these games and will not provide personnel updates until mid-season.