Marko reveals Tsunoda’s adaptation issues in Austrian GP qualifying

Red Bull motorsport advisor Dr Helmut Marko analyzes Yuki Tsunoda’s qualifying performance who will start from 18th in the Austrian GP — far behind his teammate Max Verstappen in seventh position.

Marko explains that the RB21 has a very narrow “working window” — making the car difficult to handle like “walking on a tightrope between going off track and staying on course.”

“With his first set, he was still within range that could have meant Q3. But with changing conditions, Yuki has difficulty adapting. Max can overcome that,” Marko told ORF.

Tsunoda expressed his disappointment after qualifying, admitting his performance wasn’t even at the level he achieved in VCARB. Meanwhile, Verstappen’s seventh starting position was affected by yellow flags due to Pierre Gasly’s spin — which according to team data could have achieved third position, though still half a second behind Lando Norris.

McLaren demonstrated superiority with better car control when sliding — unlike Red Bull which must always be cautious at the car’s limit.