[Laurent Mekies Discusses the Success of Losing Yuki Tsunoda to Red Bull]

Racing Bulls team boss, Laurent Mekies, has shared his perspective on the departure of Yuki Tsunoda to Red Bull, stating that it was a success for their Formula 1 squad despite conflicting with their performance targets. The team has been given “super ambitious targets” to compete in F1’s tighter upper midfield, and they are gradually achieving this goal.

[Strategic Decisions and Performance Objectives]

Despite strategic decisions costing the Anglo-Italian outfit points during the initial race weekends of 2025, the team has produced a car capable of fighting for points. This fierce competition is decided by extremely narrow margins this year as Racing Bulls engages in intense battles with teams such as Williams, Haas, Alpine, and Aston Martin.

[Red Bull Driver Merry-Go-Round]

Another challenge has been the Red Bull driver merry-go-round, with Racing Bulls initially parting ways with Liam Lawson at the start of the year, only to receive Tsunoda after just two races. Speaking on the James Allen on F1 podcast, Mekies acknowledged that their task of training drivers for Red Bull could sometimes conflict with their performance objectives, but saw having both Lawson and Tsunoda promoted to Red Bull as a success.

Our main objective is competitiveness,” Mekies explained from the team’s new Milton Keynes facility, having moved its UK outpost from Bicester to a new building next to Red Bull’s headquarters. “Our second objective is to play our part in developing Red Bull drivers.

[Yuki Tsunoda’s Promotion]

Mekies admitted that at times, the second objective could conflict with the first, but he saw having both Lawson and Tsunoda promoted to Red Bull as a success. “It was a success last year when we put on the table two drivers potentially able to go to Red Bull Racing,” he said. “It is a success again for us this year when we see Yuki given the opportunity.

In Tsunoda’s place, Lawson returned to the squad for a third stint, having been up against it from day one to match the Red Bull family’s latest junior product – the highly impressive F2 runner-up Isack Hadjar. Despite qualifying ahead of Hadjar for the first time in Saudi Arabia, Lawson still has work to do to keep pace with him over race stints.

[Liam Lawson’s Progress]

Mekies expressed confidence in Lawson, stating, “He’s still the talented guy that was driving for us a few weeks or months ago.” The team is convinced of his speed and is certain he will return to the form he showed last year.

In conclusion, while losing Yuki Tsunoda to Red Bull may have seemed like a setback, Laurent Mekies sees it as a success for Racing Bulls. The team is focused on competitiveness and developing drivers for Red Bull, and they are confident that Liam Lawson will continue to improve and reach his full potential.