Max Verstappen highlights key Yuki Tsunoda difference before Red Bull axe

Max Verstappen has explained how he and Yuki Tsunoda ran with a minor, but important set-up difference throughout their time as Red Bull team-mates.

Tsunoda joined Verstappen at Red Bull ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, but in the 22 races and five Sprints he contested, he scored just 30 points, compared to 385 for Verstappen.

Tsunoda's best finish was sixth in the Azerbaijan GP as Verstappen won eight races to finish just two points behind champion Lando Norris following a remarkable charge after the summer break. 

Verstappen's previous team-mates, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez, and Liam Lawson, have all discussed the difficulty in adapting to Verstappen's set-up, with the Dutchman favouring a razor-sharp nose for pinpoint entry to corners which others struggle to cope with.

Reflecting on his time with Tsunoda, Verstappen revealed that the Japanese racer was still running his car with more understeer, although they were quite close on the set-up. 

"In the end, Yuki came in and still indicated that it was difficult with our car," Verstappen told Viaplay. 

"They do try [to drive with my set-up], but every driver just has a bit of his own style anyway.

"In terms of setup, Yuki always drove with a bit more understeer, but at a certain point, it goes a bit in the same direction. 

"Especially in the second half of the season, we were very often driving with the same philosophy, only with a bit more understeer in Yuki's car."

"The difference is also how you build up a weekend, and obviously how you work with your engineer. 

"It's really about the details. In Abu Dhabi, I wasn't completely satisfied during the free practice sessions either, and I think with very small changes, we found two tenths, and two tenths is huge, on this grid."