Formula 1 Dutch GP
Yuki Tsunoda baffled after Dutch GP qualifying as pressure never higher
Despite feeling more confident and running an upgraded floor, Yuki Tsunoda was left confused by a Q2 exit at the Dutch GP
Alex Harrington Stuart Codling
Edited: Aug 30, 2025, 3:26 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / LAT Images via Getty Images
Yuki Tsunoda was baffled following qualifying for the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix. Despite feeling more confident in the Red Bull car this weekend, his Saturday ended with a Q2 exit, with the driver qualifying 12th for tomorrow's race.
This comes as the driver faces mounting pressure at the Milton Keynes outfit, with adviser Helmut Marko confirming to ORF that he will have until "around Mexico" to prove himself worthy of a seat beside reigning champion Max Verstappen.
His result in qualifying left him almost a full second behind polesitter Oscar Piastri and almost seven tenths behind his team-mate.
"I was expecting more, honestly," he said. "The confidence I had in the car was pretty good and I was able to control the car more than ever in any other grand prix, so to be honest, it doesn't really stack up with the feeling I had in the car and the lap time."
Despite a recent floor upgrade that brought his car closer to that of Verstappen's, Tsunoda couldn't translate the improved spec of his car into performance.
Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing Team
Photo by: Joe Portlock / LAT Images via Getty Images
"Yeah, it's very strange, very strange," he continued. "Honestly, I didn't have any mistakes and I was also working hard quite a lot to gaining every single milliseconds from maybe every corner and also how I progressed throughout the week or processed with the engineers, so I'm happy with it.
"But I didn't show really much in the qualifying, the lap time," he explained before adding that the upgrade has had a positive change on his machinery while also allowing him to directly compare his data with the Dutchman's.
"Yeah, it's positive. Like, at least you know where I'm lacking and where I'm gaining. I don't know. Practice was pretty competitive with Max, there's something I gained some corners he gain some corners.
"I have to check the lap time over data, but it doesn't really stack up what I was having previously and the lap time I done."
There is intense pressure on the Japanese driver as he fights to prove his worth in the Milton Keynes outfit. With seven race weekends yielding no points, Tsunoda needs to show signs of something clicking if he wants to stay at Red Bull beyond 2025.
Read Also:
Formula 1Red Bull gives Yuki Tsunoda until "around Mexico" to prove himself
Formula 1Yuki Tsunoda: Helmut Marko “didn’t recognise" the spec gap to Max Verstappen until Spa and Hungary
Formula 1The positives Yuki Tsunoda can take from another point-less F1 weekend
Photos from Dutch GP - Qualifying and Practice
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Dutch GP - Saturday, in photos
Formula 1
58
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Here's the starting grid for F1's 2025 Dutch GP
Next article Lando Norris takes jab at Jolyon Palmer's 'luck' comments as he reacts to Dutch GP qualifying
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Alex Harrington
Lando Norris casts doubt on Singapore GP sprint excitement: "I don't think it is"
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
1 mo
Lando Norris casts doubt on Singapore GP sprint excitement: "I don't think it is"
Nike could return to Formula 1 for first time since Michael Schumacher era
Formula 1
Formula 1
Bahrain GP in Malaysia
1 mo
Nike could return to Formula 1 for first time since Michael Schumacher era
Report: Sergio Perez's management in Williams talks as Carlos Sainz's future remains unclear
Formula 1
Formula 1 3 mo
Report: Sergio Perez's management in Williams talks as Carlos Sainz's future remains unclear
More from
Yuki Tsunoda
Five contenders to replace Esteban Ocon at Haas for F1 2027
Formula 1
Formula 1
Azerbaijan GP
1 mo
Five contenders to replace Esteban Ocon at Haas for F1 2027
Yuki Tsunoda reveals why he failed to master Red Bull's F1 car in 2025
Formula 1
Formula 1
Spanish GP
1 mo
Yuki Tsunoda reveals why he failed to master Red Bull's F1 car in 2025
More from
Red Bull Racing
Retaining Liam Lawson isn't enough – Red Bull must stop treating him like a failure
Formula 1
Formula 1 3 h
Retaining Liam Lawson isn't enough – Red Bull must stop treating him like a failure
Latest news
Retaining Liam Lawson isn't enough – Red Bull must stop treating him like a failure
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 3 h
Retaining Liam Lawson isn't enough – Red Bull must stop treating him like a failure
Yamaha may not be competitive immediately in MotoGP's 850cc era, says Pramac
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Qatar GP
6 h
Yamaha may not be competitive immediately in MotoGP's 850cc era, says Pramac
You Ask The Questions: Jack Miller
MotoGP
Qatar GP
You Ask The Questions: Jack Miller
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe