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Helmut Marko claims ‘calm’ Yuki Tsunoda needs to improve more to be ‘considered’ for Red Bull promotion

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Aditya Pandya | Last updated 3/25/24

Yuki Tsunoda had a great end to the Australian GP after scoring points for the the first time in 2024. Additionally, the 23-year-old once again outshone his Australian counterpart Daniel Ricciardo at his home race. As a result, Tsunoda garnered praise from multiple people on the grid. Now, Dr. Helmut Marko applauded the Japanese driver and put forth a condition for him to be considered for Red Bull in 2025.

Helmut Marko had previously slammed Daniel R i cciardo and Yuki Tsunoda for being ‘too slow’ at the Saudi Arabian GP. However, following the Melbourne race, Marko complimented Tsunoda for his impressive drive. The 80-year-old mentioned that the Japanese driver was competitive every lap and remained calm throughout the race.

Every lap he was competitive and didn’t do anything wrong, he was calm. Marko told motorsport.com.

Moreover, the Red Bull advisor was questioned about Tsunoda’s possible switch to Red Bull following this performance. However, Marko hinted that the 23-year-old needed to perform better in more races to be considered for Milton Keynes. Hence, the 80-year-old asserted that Yuki Tsunoda had to improve more before being considered for a seat at one of the most pristine teams in F1.

As we say, one swallow does not make a summer. So, he has to improve more before he can be considered in this direction. Marko said.

Yuki Tsunoda claimed that the VCARB01 was consistent in terms of performance unlike 2023

VisaCashAppRB faced multiple issues during the 2023 season, especially regarding the car and drivers. However, the start of the 2024 season is much more comfortable for Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo. According to Tsunoda, one strength for the team this time around was consistent performance, unlike the team’s 2023 campaign.

The good thing is our car is pretty consistent in terms of performance, that we didn't have last year. We were kind of up and down last year, so that's one of the strengths. Tsunoda told motorsport.com

Apart from this, the Japanese driver asserted that he was aware of the team’s requirement of a clean race. The most important part was how the team did not suffer from any mistakes to sabotage the results. Hence, the Australian GP provided VCARB with good confidence for the upcoming Japanese GP.

We knew that we just needed a clean race and I think we achieved it. We didn't have any mistakes. That's very important for me and also for a team to have a good confidence for upcoming races. Tsunoda said.

However, Daniel Ricciardo hasn’t fared well against Yuki Tsunoda. As a result, the Aussie was reportedly provided with a two-race ultimatum to perform well. Time will tell about how Ricciardo performs in the upcoming races. Currently, all VCARB requires is consistent results and decent points during each race week.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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