Villeneuve sees a potentially pivotal Tsunoda: 'Then Max can focus on winning'

For Tsunoda his first two sessions driving for Red Bull went well. A positive for the Japanese driver, but also for the Austrian team as well, notes Villeneuve in conversation with F1TV.

"Red Bull needs a driver that helps Max develop the car," said the Canadian former driver turned F1 analyst.

Since 2019 Red Bull have been hindered by not having drivers that can cope with the Dutchman's preference for extremely pointy cars, with Pierre Gasly, Alexander Albon, Sergio Perez and Liam Lawson all failing to even come close to Verstappen's pace, something Villeneuve references.

Something that the Canadian believes may turn the tide in Tsunoda's favour, as the Japanese driver is keen to retain the Red Bull Racing seat next to Verstappen for beyond the 2025 season, something which may prove difficult, since, after all, he's not a Red Bull driver, Villeneuve says.

Franz Tost, former team boss at AlphaTauri, supports the decision to replace New Zealander Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda, criticising the Kiwi's performance, stating that he is simply "too slow". In contrast, he praises Tsunoda for having "incredible natural speed." Read more