Yuki Tsunoda secured the final point at the Miami Grand Prix, finishing tenth for Red Bull Racing despite receiving a five-second pit-lane speeding penalty. The 24-year-old Japanese driver remains optimistic about closing the pace gap with teammate Max Verstappen, who crossed the line fourth. This performance marked Tsunoda’s second top-ten finish of the 2025 Formula 1 season, underscoring his belief that matching Verstappen’s pace is achievable despite ongoing car challenges.
Red Bull Racing’s Miami weekend began with difficulties during Sprint Qualifying. Tsunoda failed to progress past SQ1 after encountering traffic during a late pit exit, but still managed to finish sixth in the sprint. Verstappen, on the other hand, received a ten-second penalty for an unsafe pit release and finished 17th under safety car conditions. For the main Grand Prix, Verstappen started from pole position while Tsunoda qualified tenth, ultimately finishing six places apart on race day.
Although separated by several positions, Tsunoda was quick to acknowledge that closing the pace gap was within reach. His five-second penalty for pit-lane speeding cost a potential top-eight finish, yet he managed to extract strong pace from his RB21 car, demonstrating resilience and promising development. Verstappen, leading from the front, contended with tire degradation and lacked consistent race-long pace to catch George Russell and the McLarens, which once again exposed balance issues in the RB21 under race conditions.
A significant difference in the Miami race was the car specifications. Verstappen used an updated floor designed to improve load and stability, while Tsunoda raced without this upgrade due to production constraints. Red Bull’s Chief Engineer, Paul Monaghan, explained on F1TV that the update involved subtle revisions to the floor fences aiming to enhance local downforce. Despite not having this advantage, Tsunoda remained supportive of the team’s development strategy and noticed encouraging signs of parity.
Verstappen’s upgraded RB21 floor debuted in Miami, but Tsunoda emphasized that broader development is a collective effort, committing to continue feeding data into the research and development cycle. Following the weekend’s updates, Tsunoda expressed confidence in unlocking additional performance from his car as the season progresses.
Looking ahead to Imola, Red Bull Racing plans to deliver a full update package including a more complete floor upgrade for both drivers, alongside minor aerodynamic changes to improve mid-corner balance and overall drivability. The early season has highlighted challenges in creating a wide operating window suitable for both Verstappen and Tsunoda, particularly on circuits with fluctuating grip levels, such as Miami and Bahrain.
Tsunoda’s ability to translate his feedback into effective setup improvements will be crucial when these upgrades arrive. He sees the upcoming developments as an opportunity to sync his driving style with the RB21 more closely, aiming to unlock those vital extra tenths of a second as the 2025 Formula 1 title battle intensifies. His optimism about matching Verstappen’s pace reflects a passionate and intense focus on growth, despite the uncertainties currently faced by Red Bull.
