Marko on Tsunoda decision: 'Big steps in consistency'

Red Bull Racing chief advisor, Helmut Marko, has labeled Yuki Tsunoda's debut at the Austrian team ahead of his home race, the F1 Japanese Grand Prix, a coincidence, and has stated Tsunoda's 2025 'consistent spell' - of only two races - as the reason behind his appointment as Liam Lawson's replacement at Red Bull.

"Yuki has shown impressive performances during the first two race weekends. What distinguished Lawson in the second half of the 2024 season, we now see with Yuki," began Marko in his column for Speedweek.

"That this switch, with promotion for Honda protégé Tsunoda, comes just before the home race in Japan and at Honda's own circuit, is purely coincidental. Of course it helps that Yuki knows this circuit well, but so does Lawson. So that was not the deciding factor."

The Austrian advisor responds to the critics of the Red Bull decision to swap Lawson with Tsunoda after only two races citing Tsunoda's big step in terms of consistency, after only two races into 2025.