Yuki Tsunoda sets sights on “mental rest” during summer break

F1 Grand Prix of Hungary - Source: Getty
Yuki Tsunoda - Image source: Getty

Yuki Tsunoda has emphasized 'mental rest' following the end of a grueling first half of the 2025 F1 season at the Hungarian GP. After completion of 14 rounds, the next Grand Prix event will take place from August 29 onwards.

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Tsunoda joined the Red Bull Formula 1 team from Round 3 onward when he replaced the now Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson. Tsunoda and the Milton Keynes-based team had high hopes for the partnership, but nothing has gone to plan.

Tsunoda has massively fallen short in terms of performance compared to Max Verstappen. As things stand, he is in P18 in the drivers' standings, with only 10 points.

After Sunday's Hungaroring race, Yuki Tsunoda laid out his plans for the now-in-motion F1 summer break and said:

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"For the summer break, I want to focus on mental rest and training. Looking back at the first half of the year, since the floor upgrade, we’ve gotten pretty close to Max. The gap in Spa and Q1 this time was small. Honestly, looking at the past few years, I don’t think there’s another driver who’s gotten within 0.1 seconds of him."
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He further added:

"The team sees this positively, and I’m thinking positively too. The biggest challenge heading into the second half of the season is communication with the engineers, and then consistency.”
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In the 2025 Hungarian GP, Yuki Tsunoda secured a disappointing P17 finish behind Haas driver Esteban Ocon.

Yuki Tsunoda reveals his 'goal' for second half of 2025 F1 season

Yuki Tsunoda has been competing in the pinnacle of motorsport for quite some time. Since coming into the Red Bull setup, one of his goals had been to secure a seat on the main team.

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While Tsunoda has managed to do so this year, it seems unlikely that he will continue beyond 2025. Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar was seen by many as the one to get the second seat at Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen for 2026.

With 10 rounds remaining in 2025, Tsunoda has a big job on his hands from the Dutch Grand Prix onwards. He has admitted that he will look for more points finishes going forward.

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"My goal for the second half is to go for points."

In the Red Bull pool of drivers of the 2025 F1 grid, Yuki Tsunoda is in last place in the standings. As mentioned, he is in 18th place, whereas Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson is in P15 and Hadjar in P13.

Tsunoda's teammate, Max Verstappen, is in third position in the standings with 185 points. In the process, the latter has also secured two victories.

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Edited by Hitesh Nigam
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