Yuki Tsunoda came into Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez with a can-do attitude for Sunday’s race at the F1 Mexico City GP, hopeful that a points finish was imminent. However, he left rather frustrated after landing P11 at a race where he believed extracting points from the RB21 would be straightforward.
Starting his race from P10, the Japanese driver spent his first stint in eighth place, applying significant pressure on McLaren driver Oscar Piastri, who was in P9 on medium tyres. Eventually, Piastri overtook Tsunoda’s position.
Points finish felt imminent
The Japanese driver believed a top-six finish was within reach before pit-stop issues and factors “out of his control” cost him valuable positions in Sunday’s F1 Mexico City GP.
He had been running in P8 early on before Oscar Piastri passed him. His pace was quite good before a pack who had pitted to mediums from softs caught him, losing him a lot of race time. It included the Australian, along with Bearman and the two Mercedes drivers.
“Yeah, points were easily possible today, probably around P6 or P7,” Tsunoda said after the race. “We just threw away the points from places which I couldn’t control. But what I’ve done was pretty good. I just lost the points with the areas I can’t control, so it’s very frustrating.”
Pit stop issues
After a late and slow pit stop, the driver emerged behind traffic, preventing him from effectively utilizing his soft tyres. He admitted the race was not easy from behind the wheel, describing a difficult first stint with low grip on mediums. It was much the same for Max Verstappen.
“The first stint was tough, not easy at all. I don’t think we were particularly fast, but we managed it well. That’s what we’re good at as a team. It was pretty difficult, but I think I was able to maximise it and drive consistently.”
A motivating weekend
Despite finishing 11th, Tsunoda felt that it was one of his “best” weekends with Red Bull. Amid discussions about his future in 2026, the Japanese driver has achieved impressive points finishes in Baku and Austin. He also emphasized his improved performance with the car in Mexico City, despite unexpected challenges.
“I was not too far from Max [Verstappen]. I was lapping pretty much the same in the first stint,” he explained. “He ended up P3, and I was not that far away. I just think the pit-stop timing and the pit-stop itself set me back a lot. But what I’ve done today was good probably one of the best long-run paces I’ve shown in Red Bull.”
Tsunoda also highlighted his strong starts, which have been a feature of his recent races: “I’ve had three amazing starts in the last three races. I haven’t really changed my approach, I just keep motivating myself.”
Ready to give it his all for the remaining races
With four races left, Red Bull has not confirmed its 2026 driver lineup. Tsunoda revealed he is uncertain when a decision will be made after the F1 Mexico City GP, but insists he is focused on delivering and showcasing his improved pace from the cockpit — and most importantly, focusing on what he can control.
“I’m sure you guys don’t know when exactly they’re going to decide it, everyone’s saying Mexico, Mexico, but I don’t know either,” he said.
“Until today, I’ve maximised the things I can control: the pace, the start, everything. Points were easily possible, like I said. Hopefully, they consider that. It’s up to them, but I’ll just keep pushing where I can control.”
Now the driver remains motivated and hopeful heading into the final stretch of the season, “I’m always motivated,” he said. “In the second half of the season, I think I’ve consistently shown something right. Today could’ve easily been a good result for the team. But I think I’m going in the right direction.”
