Christian Horner has declined to shut down the possibility that Isack Hadjar could be drafted in to replace Yuki Tsunoda before the end of the current F1 season.
Red Bull is enduring a wretched time with its second driver this year. Over nine grands prix, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda have scored a combined total of seven points, leaving the team a lowly fourth in the constructors' championship.
Crucially for Red Bull, however, Verstappen is being left exposed in a two-versus-one battle with McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, with the four-time F1 champion afforded no protection due to him lacking a wingman to help him fight his corner.
Tsunoda, though, is lost at present with the RB21. The Japanese driver complained throughout the recent triple header in Imola, Monaco and Spain of his struggles with the car, in particular, trying to find the right set-up.
As to whether Red Bull would make another change after demoting Lawson after two races for Tsunoda, team principal Christian Horner was initially lighthearted with his reply when asked by RacingNews365.
"I think I’m going to take a leaf out of Flavio’s [Briatore] book and say, ‘I don’t want to answer it'," he said.
He then added, "Look, it’s early days for Yuki. He’s still settling in. He’s been in Q3, scored points, he’s scored points from the pit lane.
"He’s had a few incidents as well, so he has a long way to go. We’ll decide. We’ve got plenty of time on our side."
With 15 grands prix remaining, Horner may feel there is time, but in the wake of Verstappen dropping 49 points behind Piastri in the drivers' standings, Red Bull may have to act to help their number one driver's cause.
One option is Hadjar, who has performed superbly for Racing Bulls since crashing on the formation lap in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
The young French-Algerian driver is a remarkable ninth in the drivers' championship, scoring points in five races, including the last three, whilst he has reached Q3 on five occasions.
For now, Horner is willing to keep faith with Tsunoda.
"I think the only thing that we can do is give him [Tsunoda] time and support and try and get a set-up that he’s got confidence in," said Horner.
"Driving these cars is all about confidence, and that’s what he needs to find. I think he’ll get there. He’s fast. He’s just got to piece it all together.
"We keep seeing flashes of performance. We just need to see him put it all together. I think he’s capable of that."
Also interesting:
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