Tsunoda’s progress ’not enough’ yet, Mekies warns

French voices are calling for calm as Yuki Tsunoda’s resurgence meets fresh scrutiny of Isack Hadjar - while team boss Laurent Mekies stresses the Japanese driver’s importance ahead of Mexico.

Hadjar, the clear frontrunner to replace Tsunoda in 2026, endured a scrappy outing in Austin - crashing in qualifying and finishing well down the order - just as Tsunoda delivered one of his strongest weekends of the year.

Yet Hadjar, the 21-year-old Frenchman, has continued to speak openly about his future - even suggesting Red Bull should promote him before 2026 begins.

Veteran journalist Jean-Luc Roy told RMC Sport he has already advised Hadjar to pipe down. "I said to him ’say nothing! Work and get results’. He’s getting himself tangled up," Roy said.

"We’re not going to overwhelm him and put him down like his mistake at the start of the season, when he put himself out in the rain on the formation lap. It’s his second mistake. In my opinion, we just don’t need a third. That’s the advice I give him."

Roy said Hadjar must first get back to beating teammate Liam Lawson before dreaming about Red Bull. "Over the last seven or eight Grands Prix, he’s been behind Lawson rather than ahead," he noted. "He has the same equipment, so it’s not going well at all.

"He has to stop talking, get his head down, and work."

On Tsunoda, Roy was far more positive. "Tsunoda is starting to roll, he had a fantastic GP, a weekend where he fights. In Isack’s place, I would keep quiet and work," he warned again.

Mekies, meanwhile, says Tsunoda remains vital for Red Bull Racing for the battle to the end of 2025.

"Yuki has a role to play. First of all, there’s still a lot at stake in the Constructors’ Championship," he said. "Of course, we’re no longer fighting for the world title, but we are for the positions behind it. So we need Yuki’s points."

"Secondly, the faster Yuki is, the more we can spread the testing across both cars. So it’s important that we have a fast Yuki," Mekies added - especially with rookie Arvid Lindblad set to replace Max Verstappen in first practice this weekend in Mexico.

Mekies acknowledged the sizable gap between Tsunoda and Verstappen in Austin - 52 seconds, nearly a second per lap - but insisted progress is visible. "We always want more. I’m not going to say this was enough, because you’re right about the difference," he said.

"I’m not going to tell you this was good enough. Nobody feels that way, and Yuki doesn’t either. I’m just saying he’s finished in the points twice now."

"Yuki had two very good starts and two very good opening laps," Mekies continued. "This is progress compared to what he’s shown so far this year. Is this enough? No. I’d be lying if I said that, and Yuki wouldn’t be happy either if I said this was enough."