Mekies hails Tsunoda’s Mexico run – But is Red Bull really convinced?

Most pundits shrugged off Yuki Tsunoda’s P11 finish in the Mexico City Grand Prix as another clear case of underperformance by the Japanese charger, yet Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies was quick to praise his driver

“Yuki had his best weekend in a long time. We have said that a few times, but it is true,” the Frenchman insisted after the race.

But one could not help but wonder: was it genuine delight on the part of Mekies, or a polite deflection as Red Bull weighs whether Tsunoda’s modest gains justify keeping him alongside Max Verstappen next season – or if a return to Racing Bulls looms instead?

Solid Drive, But Another Missed Opportunity

Tsunoda’s race was a familiar tale of flashes of promise undermined by bad luck and small mistakes.

After climbing from tenth to eighth on the opening lap at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, the Japanese driver was held out on a long first stint to aid Max Verstappen’s strategy.

A sluggish pitstop then cost him around nine seconds, and with it, the final points positions. He crossed the line 3.6 seconds shy of ninth-placed Esteban Ocon, and vented his frustration over what he saw as a lost chance.

“Easy points,” Tsunoda told Sky Sports F1, suggesting that a top ten finish would have been in the bag without his team’s poor pit stop execution. “Unfortunately, pitstop was there.

“But also, it's not just that. A couple of things that I flagged, but I wasn’t able to, I would say, avoid it or, I don't know, save those situations, which I can't say here.

“Very, very frustrating, to be honest. It was pretty much out of my control. And what I can control, I think I maximised it.”

Mekies Defends His Driver

Despite Tsunoda’s ongoing struggle to match Verstappen – 18 to 0 down in qualifying and 260 points behind in the standings – Mekies insisted that Mexico showed progress.

“He was very, very close in quali to Max, I think it was two tenths in Q2,” he said. “Today, the first stint was very, very strong as well – two tenths, three tenths from Max, on the same very long first stint on the medium.”

On paper, the gap was closer to four-tenths once race conditions and tyre differences were factored in. Still, Mekies acknowledged that Red Bull’s pit strategy had cost Tsunoda a realistic shot at points.

“Then after, you know, fair enough, we left him out a bit longer because it was an advantage for us to do that, and we had a slightly long pitstop. So we killed a bit a few points that he would have scored on merit,” he admitted.

Future Hanging in the Balance

With Red Bull delaying its 2026 driver decisions until the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Mekies suggested that Tsunoda remains in the mix – though hardly guaranteed a seat.

“And of course, it's one of the reasons why we want to take a bit more time before we make a decision on the drivers,” he said.

“Yuki is making steps forward, the other kids are making steps forward as well, so we have no reason to rush the decision. We will take a bit more time.”

• Read also: 'No rush' – Red Bull holds fire on 2026 drivers until Abu Dhabi

That patience could cut both ways. While Mekies’ comments sound supportive, they also underline the pressure Tsunoda faces from Red Bull’s driver pool.

Another weekend of “almost points” may not be enough to secure a second season in the main team – or to avoid being sent back to Racing Bulls, where his Formula 1 journey began.

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