Helmut Marko points 2 qualities that Yuki Tsunoda lacks to partner Max Verstappen at Red Bull

Despite being a part of Red Bull Racing's sister team for almost four years now, Yuki Tsunoda has not been able to grab a seat in the Austrian outfit. Top boss Helmut Marko highlighted the lack of two qualities in the Japanese driver that hinders his promotion alongside Max Verstappen.

After showcasing his racecraft in Formula 3 and 2 in the junior Red Bull team, Tsunoda progressed to the pinnacle of open-wheel racing in 2021. The Sagamihara-born racer got a seat in AlphaTauri (now VCARB) alongside Pierre Gasly. Tsunodo finished fourth in the season finale at Abu Dhabi in his debut season, his best finish to date in Formula 1. Since then, Tsunoda has consistently beat his teammate in the driver's table.

Despite performing well in all four seasons, Yuki Tsunoda is not yet in contention for a seat beside Verstappen in Red Bull. Former Austrian racer and a top motorsport executive with the Milton Keyes-based team Marko explained why Tsunoda is not yet ready to drive for the top team.

"He has now delivered two very good races in Brazil and Las Vegas. Unfortunately, he had two stupid mistakes in Brazil before that. Yuki has the speed, but he lacks continuity and stability. But if it works for him, it works very well," Marko said during an interview with Austrian publication Kleine Zeitung.

His statement was shared on X by PlanetF1. Here's a look at the post, captioned:

"Helmut Marko says Yuki Tsunoda lacks the required “continuity and stability” for Red Bull."

With two races to go in the 2024 season, Tsunoda is placed 11th in the driver's championship.

---

"It is pretty annoying as we lost a few points for the constructors’ championship" - Yuki Tsunoda on VCARB slipping behind rivals in the constructors' table despite a ninth-place finish in Las Vegas

Despite Yuki Tsunoda's point finish in Las Vegas, VCARB lost positions against its rivals in the constructors’ championship. The 24-year-old Japanese racer expressed his feelings regarding the same during the post-race interaction.

"It wasn’t an easy race today but we maximized all that we could, and I think as a team we made such a good step forward throughout the weekend. Obviously, I’m happy with finishing in the points today, but at the same time, it is pretty annoying as we lost a few points for the constructors’ championship," Tsunoda said.

"I was feeling good and confident in the car, which is important, especially in a circuit like this, so I’m definitely happy with that and with the strong race pace we showed The first stint wasn’t too bad, we were in, and amongst the group around us, but it’s really hard to overtake, or at least it was for us," he added.

As of now, VCARB (46 points) is placed eighth in the constructor's table behind the likes of Haas (50 points) and Alpine (49 points).