Yuki Tsunoda feels McLaren and Ferrari could have a key advantage over Red Bull in Mexico

Yuki Tsunoda believes that McLaren and Ferrari could hold a performance advantage over Red Bull at the upcoming Mexican Grand Prix. Speaking to media including Sportskeeda, after the 2025 USGP, the Japanese driver suggested that the characteristics of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez might favor their rivals.

Starting 13th on the grid in Austin, Tsunoda delivered an impressive performance to finish seventh in both the sprint and main race, his best weekend result of the season and the strongest showing for the second Red Bull car so far in 2025. While teammate Max Verstappen claimed victory in both the sprint and the race, finishing seven seconds ahead of Lando Norris, Tsunoda noted that the bumpy surface and track layout at the Circuit of the Americas did not particularly suit their car.

Looking ahead, Tsunoda feels that Mexico could present a different challenge, one that might play into the strengths of McLaren and Ferrari. He explained that the circuit’s layout and the requirement for heavy kerb riding typically suit the characteristics of those two cars. However, he remains optimistic that Red Bull could still unlock more potential and close the gap.

Asked by Sportskeeda if it's fair to say that Red Bull has a car that suits every track after Austin, Yuki Tsunoda said:

“I mean, yeah, it's okay, I would say. I mean, Mexico got to be a little bit different kind of characteristic. Still need a good better ride, especially driving on the kerb, which are probably is a little bit specific in Mexico. So especially I think McLaren and Ferrari seems like they're good at riding a kerbs, so I'm sure they'll be strong. But we can get some lap time in different places, which we know we' good at.”

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Yuki Tsunoda hails the USGP performance in comparison to Singapore

Yuki Tsunoda at the F1 Grand Prix Of United States - Source: Getty

Yuki Tsunoda believes that his performance at the US Grand Prix was stronger than his outing in Singapore. The Japanese driver felt more confident at the Austin circuit, enabling him to make up positions and secure valuable points for the team.

Although he felt there was still room to maximize the result further, Tsunoda highlighted several positives from the weekend. Asked if to explain of his best results of the season in Austin, Yuki Tsunoda said:

“Yeah, so start was good once again and especially the first few laps, had already been a good pace, able to gain some pions, which was good. But yeah, after that, the pace was okay reasonably. I think I could have done a slightly better job than that. But overall was still good.”

Asked if it was a different weekend compared to Singapore, he replied:

“I mean, Singapore was pretty extreme how I lost the position probably one of the worst start or first lap I have tried in my life. I mean, the US, yeah, I don't know why I have an extra confidence in track to attack. Yeah, I had a good feeling from yesterday. And yeah, today I obviously, I was a different side of the lane to start, but was able to replicate the thing about as what I did yesterday, so positive.”

Yuki Tsunoda collected a total of eight points across the sprint and main race in Austin. The Japanese driver has scored 28 points so far this season for Red Bull but has been outscored by both drivers of the junior team, VCARB, Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar, who have amassed a combined total of 69 points.

Meanwhile, Max Verstappen has scored over 278 points more than his teammate and sits third in the drivers’ championship with a realistic chance of securing his fifth world title. In the constructors’ standings, Red Bull are locked in a close fight with Ferrari and Mercedes for second place, currently trailing Mercedes by ten points and Ferrari by three points.