Photo: RacePictures.

Tsunoda extracts all in Mexico quali as Red Bull split spec

16:42, 26 Oct

byNorberto Mujica

Yuki Tsunoda felt he extracted everything from his RB21 in a “sensitive” qualifying session for the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix, narrowly missing out on Q3 after ending Q2 just two-tenths behind Max Verstappen.

I think he was struggling with the grip, also same as me as well. Especially just mechanical grip. Just struggling. It’s very soft

- Yuki Tsunoda

“Yeah, you know, this time I was quite close to Max consistently throughout qualifying. I was two tenths off from Max. In a normal situation I would be in Q3 but I think probably as a team we struggled with the pace after Q2 so far,” said Tsunoda after the session.

Asked about what went wrong, the Japanese driver pointed to grip issues that affected both him and Verstappen. “No, I mean, me and Max struggled with the same thing, you know?

"Like, I think he was struggling with the grip, also same as me as well. Especially just mechanical grip. Just struggling. It’s very soft.

"And with this kind of situation, it’s very sensitive to warm up as well, and yeah. But anyway, at least it’s not bad lap I had in Q2.”

Photo: RacePictures.

Tsunoda also revealed a small but possibly decisive difference in machinery between himself and Verstappen when asked if Red Bull had equipped both cars with same spec parts. “No. Different, he has a new floor,” he confirmed when asked if he carried the same package.

When questioned about Helmut Marko and Laurent Mekies suggesting that Red Bull’s 2026 driver line-up announcement might be delayed, Tsunoda remained pragmatic.

“I don’t know if happier or not to be honest, but I just keep performing and I mean Sainz [is] gonna drop five [positions]? I don’t know how many positions he's gonna drop. I think I’m starting with P10 so I’ll take it.”

Red Bull's struggles trigger setup change in Mexico

Red Bull Racing's chief advisor Helmut Marko explained that Max Verstappen’s lack of qualifying pace in Mexico was due to the raising of the RB21’s ride height to favor race performance, sacrificing single-lap speed.

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