Red Bull staff looked ‘depressed’ during emergency meeting with Yuki Tsunoda, says Japanese outlet

Tsunoda is fighting not just for his seat at Red Bull, but also to stay in Formula 1 at all. His current deal runs through the end of 2025.

Red Bull’s emergency meeting with Yuki Tsunoda caught social media team off guard

As reported by Autosport Web, Tsunoda was asked to head to the back of the Red Bull garage after finishing his media duties on Sunday. There, he found performance engineer Richard Cooke and race engineer Richard Wood, both looking visibly ‘depressed’.

Neither could look him in the eye before the meeting started. The Red Bull social media team stopped filming when they realised something serious was happening.

A reporter observing from a stairwell noted that Wood did most of the talking while Tsunoda listened in silence. The mood was described as heavy, almost like a wake.

Nobody seems certain what was said during that conversation, but it’s clear spirits are low on Tsunoda’s side of the garage. Many staff members have seen this sort of atmosphere before during difficult times for Liam Lawson and Sergio Perez.

Nico Rosberg left baffled by Yuki Tsunoda’s ‘unreal’ stat

Tsunoda is an option who would interest Cadillac, but they are expected to finalise their line-up before Red Bull make any decisions on the 25-year-old’s future.

Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, both of whom are currently available, are the favourites to pair for the new team’s debut season. That could leave Tsunoda without a seat if he is indeed let go.

This appears to be the most probable outcome. Tsunoda is currently 17th in the standings, with 13 of 24 races completed.

Nico Rosberg has described it as ‘unreal’ that Tsunoda has just 10 points this season. Even considering some of the factors outside his control, like the unpredictable behaviour of the RB21, it still falls short of what Red Bull expect from one of their drivers.