"He’s been mediocre for years”: Fans react as Yuki Tsunoda registers unfortunate stat for Red Bull

Yuki Tsunoda's recent run of results has placed him in an unwanted position in Red Bull Racing's history books. The Japanese driver, who joined the senior team mid-season, has now gone seven consecutive races without scoring a single point - the longest pointless streak for a Red Bull driver not involving a DNF.

The stat, first highlighted by Autosport on X, sparked widespread fan reaction across platforms, with some defending the struggling driver, but many questioning whether he should still be in that seat at all.

Since replacing Liam Lawson just before his home race in Japan, Tsunoda has scored just seven points in 11 races - all of them in the first five races of his Red Bull stint. His form has tailed off dramatically since crashing out in Imola, and qualifying at the back of the grid in Spain marked a low point.

The online reaction to the post has been harsh. One response caught the sentiment among fans:

"Oh please. He's been mediocre for years, on 3 different teams. Time to go Yuki."

The second Red Bull seat has long been a revolving door, and many fans feel Tsunoda's time is up.

Vinylbmx

@vinylbmx

By far, the worst driver should be fired years ago​

One fan pointed to Red Bull's current junior standout Isack Hadjar, who has been quietly impressive in the sister team, Racing Bulls.

SportiveSphereHQ

@SportiveHq

Hadjar has to get the seat for 2026

Jason

@Certinfy

Obviously huge issues with the team and that seat in particular, but let’s not pretend like he should be there to begin. Lawson also shouldn’t have, but this was a complete kneejerk reaction to put Tsunoda in that car once Lawson flopped. He’s literally been average at best in his F1 career so far.

One fan turned their attention toward Red Bull's senior management, warning about the rumored troubles that lie ahead.

Nacho14

@Nacho775577

It will get way worse for Red Bull next season. Max won't stick around for long.

Despite the harsh criticism, not everyone felt that Yuki Tsunoda deserved the blame, highlighting the RB21's unpredictability.

Coen.

@zigzaggen

We're forgetting the whole field, all 20 cars, are within 1,3sec. from each other in qualifying. The season has come to an end, this era too. It's on to 2026, new regulations, other opportunities, no more DRS-trains. Give the guy some slack, he's a good driver.

Lewis C

@LewisCoyle44

Can’t blame the drivers anymore. What has Redbull done to the car to make it so difficult?

Car hunter

@_KimilF1

It's the car, if even Verstappen is struggling with the upgrades, imagine how bad the second car is

Even Max Verstappen has gone winless in the last seven races, with just one podium in that stretch. Though mathematically alive, the reigning champion is effectively out of the title battle, 97 points behind the leader, Oscar Piastri, as Red Bull's development curve has fallen behind McLaren.

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Red Bull's second seat syndrome: Yuki Tsunoda's season in focus

Yuki Tsunoda during the F1 Grand Prix of Japan. Source: Getty

Yuki Tsunoda's promotion to the senior team came after just two poor weekends for Liam Lawson - a move seen by many as an overreaction. To his credit, Tsunoda started well. He achieved P5 in qualifying in Australia driving for Racing Bulls and reached Q3 three times in his first four races with Red Bull. But the optimism didn't last long.

The turning point was the crash in Q1 at Imola. It cost the team heavily under the cost cap and seemed to affect Tsunoda's confidence. In Monaco, he was the only Red Bull-affiliated driver to finish outside the points. From that moment on, the forgettable streak began.

Since Imola, Tsunoda has not cracked the top ten once. Qualifying pace has also become a glaring weakness. In Spain, he started dead last. In Hungary this past weekend, he was eliminated in Q1 yet again.

"Not sure what I'm doing wrong, to be honest. I've to look through harder, but to be honest it's really, really hard to find the reason for what I'm doing so wrong to drive this slow... I just have to investigate more, and if I can do something different in driving style or if I can take something that Max (Verstappen) is doing differently compared to myself, whatever it is, I'll try, from left to right, everything, and keep improving," he told Formula 1's official website after the Austrian GP.

The Japanese driver went on to admit that the RB21 lacked grip, sliding around, and hinted that something fundamental is missing in the car setup, something even the engineers haven't been able to pinpoint.

It's a familiar pattern. Since Max Verstappen cemented himself as Red Bull's undisputed No. 1, the second seat has swallowed up driver after driver - from Pierre Gasly to Alex Albon, Sergio Perez, and even Daniel Ricciardo's brief return. The car is designed around one driver's unique style, and all other drivers have struggled.

Oracle Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda at Imola. Source: Getty

But Yuki Tsunoda's current streak is now the longest of any driver in that seat, and it's hard to ignore. As the F1 paddock heads into the summer break, he will get some time to reset. Whether he returns sharper and more composed or just deeper into the same downward spiral remains to be seen.