It was just yesterday that rumors about Yuki Tsunoda not being considered for the Red Bull seat came out. The rumors continued to state that if it is not Red Bull for Tsunoda in the next season, it will be Haas. But there has been some new light on the situation as Helmut Marko analyzes the situation and things do not look good for Sergio Perez who is in the danger zone to get replaced.

Luckily for us, his analysis has been documented and he has more than a few things to say about Sergio Perez and his new rival, Yuki Tsunoda. Moreover, Tsunoda must have felt like the team had not noticed Marko’s recent performance after the Imola Grand Prix.

Yuki Tsunoda becomes a threat to Sergio Perez’s seat

Following the Imola Grand Prix, Helmut Marko gave a breakdown analysis of the race and shed light on the Sergio Perez situation. In his analysis on Speedweek.com, Marko stated, “Sergio Pérez did not do as well in Imola as he had in previous World Championship races. His performance was fine until his accident in the third practice session, but unfortunately, he made a massive mistake in qualifying at turn 7. The mistake cost Checo three-tenths of a second, which meant he didn’t make it into Q3.”

As of now, the RB20 is still the leading car that pushes Max Verstappen ahead on the driver’s championship. When Perez underperformed during the Imola GP, Marko pointed out where things went wrong for the Mexican. Marko explained, “Starting from 11th place, the race was basically over on a track where overtaking is so difficult. In terms of strategy, we had no choice but to start with the hard tyre, but as mentioned, the car’s performance was not there. With the medium-hard tyre, his speed was better, but not enough to attack the Mercedes,” he added.

Mercedes is a team that Red Bull has left far behind in terms of race pace and points. Having to lose to them at Imola was a big sign of defeat for Checo, and with no proper contract in his way, he still has to prove that he is worthy of the seat. On the other hand, Yuki Tsunoda has been performing quite well in a Racing Bull. That being said, he has always looked forward to the Red Bull promotion. In the analysis, Marko turned towards Yuki Tsunoda’s driving and shared his views on the Japanese driver’s recent racing.

Helmut Marko acknowledges Yuki Tsunoda’s efforts

Marko has noticed all the efforts that Tsunoda has been putting towards his promotion and at the Imola GP, it has been noticed. According to the Red Bull CTO, “Yuki Tsunoda, on the other hand, put in a strong performance at the Racing Bulls’ home race in Imola, as the team is based in nearby Faenza. The Japanese driver impressed in free practice – sixth in the first practice session, third in second, fourth in Q1, third in Q2, then seventh on the grid and tenth in the race. If he hadn’t run into traffic in the third part of qualifying, he could have started the race ahead of Russell.”

He further elucidated, “This is part of a series of excellent performances from Yuki, he has performed every weekend except for China. He hardly makes any mistakes anymore, he is focused, he works well with the engineers. It took a while, but now he is able to use his talent and speed skillfully. Above all, he has better control over his emotions than before, which can also be heard on the radio. Keeping emotions under control and not making any more mistakes, one goes hand in hand with the other. We see a continuously upward performance curve from him.”

Now that Tsunoda is within the top 10 drivers in F1 in a Racing Bull, the team is starting to consider him because, in a Red Bull, his performance would only be better. The Japanese driver has been doing quite well for himself, and despite not getting any credit for it so far, Marko broke the silence. Now that Tsunoda is being noticed, he just might end up in the limelight, which leads to the seat next to Max Verstappen.

Based on this season’s performance, Checo has a lot to put in, while the threat of losing the seat to Tsunoda is looming over Perez’s head. With that said, he needs to improve his performance if he wants to keep the Red Bull seat; otherwise, looking for a new team might become imminent. Looking at how the situation is for Checo, do you think he will retain his seat in 2025 or lose it to Yuki Tsunoda? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.