Yuki Tsunoda casts final Red Bull defence as F1 exit looms

Yuki Tsunoda has issued a defence of his Red Bull stint as he faces an exit from the F1 grid at the end of the current season.

RacingNews365 understands that Tsunoda will be replaced at Red Bull by Isack Hadjar next year, while sister team Racing Bulls will retain Liam Lawson and promote rookie Arvid Lindblad.

Tsunoda's future has been under threat for some time, having struggled for form ever since joining Red Bull earlier this season.

He currently sits 15th in the drivers' championship, while team-mate Max Verstappen enters the final round in Abu Dhabi with a chance to seal a fifth drivers' title.

Tsunoda commented that he has taken steps forward of late, even if he has not had the results to satisfy the Red Bull team.

“I’ve done what I could do,” Tsunoda told media including RacingNews365. “Especially the last four races, the team gave me a lot of support and able to drive with [an] almost identical car to Max.

“I proved a lot of things. Since I had an identical car, I was always within two or three-tenths. Las Vegas, [I was] consistently FP1 to FP3. There were multiple laps I was ahead of him.

“Qualifying [in Las Vegas], we know what happened, it was out of my control.

“In the sprint [in Qatar], I was able to help him and I finished ahead of him in sprint qualifying.

“Qualifying was a big shame, but I was still three-tenths behind. Three-tenths behind normally qualifies in the top five.”

Tsunoda has joined a list of names including Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez and Liam Lawson who have struggled for form alongside Verstappen in recent years.

The Japanese driver pointed to those who have stumbled before him and argued he has done a better job at improving across a season than his predecessors.

“I’m showing what I can do. I don't think with my seat, [other drivers were] consistently able to drive this close - at least if I remember the last few years,” he said.

“I didn't see many drivers [performing] like this, able to achieve like this, step up in the middle season and go through very, very difficult moments with the beginning of the season.

“It's just a matter of now we'll try to help Max at the next race. The pace is there, I don't think that there is much more we can do with this second seat.”