Sky F1 consultant Nico Rosberg says he's still baffled by the continued performance disparity within Red Bull, questioning why Yuki Tsunoda remains so far adrift of Max Verstappen.
The Dutchman dominated qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix, setting a new lap record at Monza – and the fastest lap in Formula 1 history by average speed.
Meanwhile, Tsunoda could only manage tenth fastest, over seven-tenths slower than his four-time world champion teammate. Rosberg described the gap as “inexplicable” and expressed surprise at Red Bull’s seeming inability to rectify the problem.
“This has been years now, and once again, Yuki is more than seven tenths behind Max Verstappen,” Rosberg told Sky Sports F1. “That's inexplicable.
“I don't understand because Yuki is a great... he knows how to drive a racing car. How is it possible he's just so far behind once again? It's crazy that they can't find a solution to that.”
A History of Struggling Teammates
Rosberg highlighted that Red Bull has faced similar challenges with its second seat for years, with drivers like Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, and Liam Lawson failing to match Verstappen. Even Sergio Perez, initially a strong performer, eventually fell victim to the same pattern.
“I’m hearing that his car is not 100% the same as Max Verstappen's, but it's not seven tenths. Maybe it's a tenth or something. Yeah, poor. I feel for Yuki, because this is, again, a really, really tough day,” Rosberg added.
The German’s pointed remarks underscore the difficulty Red Bull has experienced in creating a more balanced team, where both cars can compete on equal footing.
Tsunoda Points to Slipstream, Sees Positives
Tsunoda, for his part, attempted to explain his deficit during qualifying, attributing part of the difference to a lack of slipstream.
“In Q3, I wasn’t able to have slipstream,” he said. “Traditionally at this kind of track you want to have a bit of circulation and slipstream. I had to lead the pack in Q3 which is kind of opposite to what I want.
“But in the end, overall, I’m happy with the performance. Being in Q3 was the thing I wanted for a long time and overall I’m happy with it.”
©RedBull
He also acknowledged that Red Bull’s car was more competitive at Monza than at some previous tracks, particularly high-downforce circuits.
“It looked better on paper and probably starting in FP1 was a little bit better compared to the last two races, which were high downforce [tracks],” Tsunoda said.
“But at the same time it still wasn’t easy at all. The balance was still quite messy and pretty inconsistent.”
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‘It worked!’: Verstappen defied engineers to seal Monza poleWhile Verstappen continues to set the benchmark, Tsunoda faces the challenge of closing the gap in both qualifying and races, and perhaps saving his career in F1 in the process.
But for Rosberg, the ongoing delta remains baffling.
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