F1 pundit predicts Yuki Tsunoda to benefit more from Christian Horner’s dismissal than “star” Max Verstappen

Yuki Tsunoda would benefit more from Christian Horner's sacking than his Red Bull teammate, Max Verstappen, as per the former F1 driver turned pundit, Jolyon Palmer.

Horner, who led the charge for Red Bull for over two decades, was sacked by the team on July 9, 2025. A lot was said regarding this by top motorsport personalities, and now, with the dust somewhat settled around this, Jolyon Palmer believes that the arrival of new team principal Laurent Mekies will benefit Yuki Tsunoda more in comparison to star driver Max Verstappen.

On the F1 Nation podcast, Palmer said, via GP Blog:

"We will see the shift in probably more of the boss's time being spent trying to understand what's going on Yuki's car, whereas before I think sometimes Christian barely knew he had a second driver in the field.

"There will be these small shifts, but Max knows that he's the star there. He will still be the star there. And if Red Bull want to win next year, they will need to get the most out of Max because if Yuki stays, he's not going to be a championship contender next year. He could be a decent support act at best for Verstappen in the new regs."

Yuki Tsunoda did not perform anywhere near expected levels during the first 14 races of the 2025 F1 season. Despite being promoted to the main Red Bull team from Round 3 onward, he is way down in P18 in the drivers' standings with only 10 points in comparison to Verstappen's P3 spot with 187.

Yuki Tsunoda not a 'second-class driver' in comparison to Max Verstappen

F1 Grand Prix of Hungary - Final Practice - Source: Getty

While Jolyon Palmer feels that Yuki Tsunoda will prosper under the leadership of Laurent Mekies at Red Bull, his fellow pundit/former driver Anthony Davidson has asserted that Verstappen has made Tsunoda look like a second-class driver in the RB21.

Firstly, Liam Lawson struggled to put in decent performances with the car in the first two rounds of the 2025 season. And now, this has been the case with Yuki Tsunoda. It is no secret that Red Bull's 2025 machinery is not a potent racecar, but despite this, Max Verstappen has been able to put in some strong performances with it.

In line with Verstappen's might and Lawson and Tsunoda's woes, Davidson told the Dutch Formula 1 Magazine, via GP Blog:

"It will be interesting to see if Laurent Mekies (Christian Horner's successor, ed.), manages to put his arm around Yuki and let him be the driver he can be. But with this car being so sensitive, it seems like Liam and Yuki are second-rate drivers compared to Max, but they're not."

With the pinnacle of motorsport returning with the Dutch Grand Prix after the long summer break, Yuki Tsunoda will eye a decent showing at the Zandvoort Racing Circuit. His teammate Max Verstappen, on his end, will also eye a strong showing in front of the home support.