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Helmut Marko

Helmut Marko hands Yuki Tsunoda crucial Max Verstappen boost

Yuki Tsunoda has endured a mixed start to life as a Red Bull driver, although Helmut Marko has defended the Japanese star.

Marko Tsunoda
Article
To news overview © Red Bull Content Pool

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has defended Yuki Tsunoda and the team's decision to promote him, by acknowledging he is "much closer" to Max Verstappen than Liam Lawson was.

Tsunoda was promoted to the Milton Keynes-based outfit to replace Lawson after just two races, following a turbulent start to the season for the New Zealander. 

Since moving to the main outfit alongside Verstappen, it has not been completely smooth for Tsunoda, although he did score points in his second race for the team. 

In his four races for Red Bull, Tsunoda has scored just six points, compared to Verstappen's 62 in the same time period. 

Despite this, Marko is adamant that the correct decision was made. 

"Yes," Marko stressed, when asked by BILD if promoting Tsunoda was the right decision.

Despite the considerable number of positions between Tsunoda and Verstappen, Red Bull has noticed that the lap time difference between them has shrunk compared to Lawson. 

Unlike Lawson, Tsunoda has made Q3 for Red Bull since joining the team ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, something the now-Racing Bulls driver never managed.

"Yes, but he is much closer to Max than Liam," Marko pointed out, when Tsunoda having only scored six points was identified.

"And in only his second race in the Red Bull he finished in the points. That was a top performance and proof that we made the right decision. 

"When was the last time we had two cars in the points? I can't remember that."

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