Yuki Tsunoda told where he'll 'probably' end up after what Red Bull did at Azerbaijan GP

It was a little lost in Max Verstappen's victory, McLaren's meltdown and a first Williams podium for Carlos Sainz, but Yuki Tsunoda put in his best performance yet as a Red Bull driver at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Sixth place was by far his best result of the year as the Japanese driver capitalised on a strong qualifying performance.

But, in terms of the bigger picture, it was most likely too little, too late when it comes to saving his status as Verstappen's team-mate. The odds have been firmly stacked against Tsunoda, having spent most of the season without the car upgrades that were given to the Dutchman to aid him in his drivers' championship quest.

New boss Laurent Mekies likes Tsunoda and, if there were no other candidates banging at the door, chances are Red Bull Racing's line-up would remain unchanged for 2026. But that is not the case - the impact rookie Isack Hadjar has had since he was elevated into F1 cannot be ignored and he seems to be on the verge of being given the nod to step up next term.

That is not yet confirmed, nor is the promotion of British teenager Arvid Lindblad from Formula 2 into junior squad Racing Bulls. But both look increasingly likely to happen, leaving Tsunoda seemingly in a straight battle with Liam Lawson for the one remaining race seat of the four within Red Bull's stable.

Lawson has also had a challenging year, having been initially selected over Tsunoda to partner Verstappen after Sergio Perez was shown the door last December. The Kiwi was demoted just two rounds in and then took time to find his feet with Racing Bulls, but he too has performed well with four points finishes in his last seven Grands Prix.

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The best of those also came on Sunday, where he finished ahead of Tsunoda in fifth - his best result in F1 yet. Both drivers made a strong case for themselves in Baku and they could yet both land a 2026 contract, if Mekies decides to try to avoid the mistakes of predecessor Christian Horner who, along with consultant Helmut Marko, promoted several young drivers swiftly only for them to then buckle under the pressure.

Veteran reporter Ted Kravitz is one of those wishing for Tsunoda to get another chance and said on his live Ted's Notebook Sky Sports F1 show after the Baku race: "Yuki was brilliant today, the real Yuki Tsunoda showed up again... that's a very solid P6 for Yuki Tsunoda. Very good stuff, so happy to see him back in the points for Red Bull.

"Hopefully that is what is going to cement him staying in the Red Bull driver program. Yes, he is probably going to go back down to Racing Bulls next year. But, with more points positions like that, then he will be very much in that team with that man in the Racing Bulls anorak, and hopefully he will be there, because he is doing a great job."