Helmut Marko thought Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda were both “too slow” before praising the latter’s racing skills when he finished seventh in the Australian Grand Prix.
The Red Bull motorsport advisor wields enormous power when it comes to determining who will fill the two seats with the Austrian outfit and its junior squad, currently known as VCARB. Those at VCARB want to impress enough to earn a berth on the global championship team.
Ricciardo and Tsunoda are currently hoping to join Red Bull, but Marko recently put cold water on that by claiming that the Japanese driver was not quick enough and that Ricciardo was “a bit behind” since his comeback to the sport.
Tsunoda appeared to use it as incentive to earn his best finish in nearly two years in Melbourne, leaving Marko with no choice but to compliment the VCARB driver, who will be eyeing the seat presently held by Sergio Perez due to his unclear future with Red Bull.
“Yuki ran perfectly from the first lap on Friday and set very consistent and good times in today’s race,” he told reporters. “When Nico Hulkenberg attacked, he instantly responded. I believe we have confirmed that Yuki is a completely mature driver.”
Tsunoda’s best point total came in his debut season, and he’s now in his fourth with the team. His recent performance is a massive lift, and he is presently outperforming his teammate, which is significant given Ricciardo’s prior wins for Red Bull and McLaren.
The Japanese driver reminisced on his performance in Australia, saying, “It was good.” I believe we’ve had a pretty consistent car this week and have been able to stay in the top 10 at all times. So obviously major respect to the team because they did a fantastic preparation and able to build-up the confidence pretty rapidly and yeah, very happy with my performance.
“I simply have to continue doing what I’m doing. I believe we just have to put it all together throughout the race. We’ve had a lot of irritation in the previous few races, so now we just need to focus on the race and avoid mistakes.”
Tsunoda has made no secret of his desire to move up the grid and take a place in a more competitive car. Red Bull would be the best choice, which the 23-year-old hopes to pursue, but he is also willing to put himself in the shop window for other teams.
He said, “Hopefully, they’ll think about it. At the same time, I believe I will do everything possible to demonstrate performance to other teams. I just want to raise my value as a driver and show that I can fight well. Obviously, I don’t know what’s going on with Red Bull, but perhaps they’ll take it into serious consideration as well.”
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