Alex Albon calls Max Verstappen the ultimate benchmark as Yuki Tsunoda faces tough reality

Former Red Bull driver Alex Albon has shared his take on Yuki Tsunoda's struggles against the prolific Max Verstappen at Red Bull. Tsunoda has been making his trade with the senior team since Round 3 of the 2025 F1 season, but despite this, he hasn't been able to match the might of Verstappen in the RB21.

The ongoing campaign is 17 rounds down, and Yuki Tsunoda is currently in 17th place in the drivers' standings, having amassed only 20 points. Max Verstappen, on the other hand, is in third and has also amassed four Grand Prix wins.

Last week's Azerbaijan Grand Prix proved to be fruitful for Yuki Tsunoda, where he secured an impressive P6 finish. However, he was yet again outclassed by Verstappen in the same machinery.

In comparison to the Japanese driver's P6, the Dutchman amassed a dominant Grand Prix win ahead of George Russell (P2) and Carlos Sainz (P3).

In line with how much of a challenge Tsunoda is facing driving alongside the four-time world champion at Red Bull, Williams' Alex Albon has sympathized with him while applauding Verstappen.

"I speak with Yuki a lot, try to help him in any way I can. We have a great relationship, and I really love Yuki. But it's hard. You've got on the other side of the garage, arguably the best driver that's driven an F1 car." Via BBC Sounds.

Max Verstappen has, over the years, gotten the better of several drivers who have driven alongside him at Red Bull. Other than Tsunoda and Albon, Verstappen has also had the upper hand on Pierre Gasly and former F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo.

Red Bull admits to 'coaching' Yuki Tsunoda

F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan - Source: Getty

While Alex Albon has shared his feelings on Yuki Tsunoda's woes against Max Verstappen, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has recently revealed that his team has been 'coaching' Tsunoda.

In a conversation with Sky Germany, Marko added:

"We sat down after the race in Monza – Tsunoda was sometimes a second slower than Max in the race – and decided on a different approach. Simply put, you have to coach him more because of the less experience compared to Max. We have set up the car more according to his wishes."

Yuki Tsunoda has yet to sign a contract extension at Red Bull for the 2026 F1 season. Only seven Grand Prix events are remaining on the race calendar, and each one of these is going to be extremely crucial for the Japanese driver.

Round 18 of the 2025 F1 season will take place at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore next week (03 - 05 October). Tsunoda will be determined to back his strong result from Baku with at least a top ten finish.