Red Bull chief reveals why Yuki Tsunoda has been compelled to attend for his likelihood after changing sacked Liam Lawson

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has explained why Yuki Tsunoda has had to wait for his opportunity to impress.

Tsunoda was drafted in to replace Liam Lawson, who was demoted by Red Bull after struggling during the opening two races of the campaign.

Lawson crashed out of the race in the Australian Grand Prix and subsequently finished in 12th place in China.

There had been suggestions that Tsunoda should have been given an opportunity ahead of Lawson initially.

Max Verstappen, meanwhile, was left frustrated with the way in which Lawson was dismissed.

Although Red Bull have received criticism for the situation, Marko stated that it was previously thought that Lawson would be the best option.

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has explained why Yuki Tsunoda had to wait for his opportunity

Marko was commenting after Tsunoda was brought in to replace the dismissed Liam Lawson

Lawson was demoted by Red Bull after struggling during the first two races of the campaign

Marko added that Tsunoda had a reputation for making avoidable mistakes, which counted against him. 

Marko told Kleine Zeitung: ‘For a long time, Yuki had the image of not performing consistently and making silly mistakes here and there. That’s what happened last year in Mexico, where the decisive phase for us began. With Lawson, it was the exact opposite at first: he came on and delivered straight away, no matter how great the pressure was.’

Marko now acknowledges that the choice to select Lawson was incorrect.

He said: ‘In retrospect, however, it wasn’t the right decision. In general, however, a lot can be traced back to a single incident. 

‘At Silverstone, Tsunoda once drove into Pierre Gasly’s car, and parts of the cars on the track damaged the underbody of Verstappen’s car, which cost him the race. Adrian Newey was furious at the time. From that point on, Yuki was a red rag to him. But now Newey is gone, and Yuki has worked hard on himself.’

In addition, Marko expressed his belief that Tsunoda can now go on to be a success. 

He said: ‘Yes, absolutely. He came out of the winter break strong and delivered two great races, in which only the strategy department prevented him from achieving a better placing. 

‘Yuki has changed management, he’s simply grown up – and he’s got a lot of self-confidence anyway. I heard he said he’s already expecting a podium finish in Japan. I’d be happy if Max made it onto the podium… But hey, let’s wait and see.’ 

Tsunoda will be determined to impress in his first race since promotion, which takes place in his native Japan

Tsunoda’s first race since his promotion will be in his home country of Japan on Sunday.

Red Bull are currently in third place in the constructors’ championship standings behind McLaren and Mercedes.