Red Bull admits struggle to find Verstappen teammate

Red Bull still hasn’t found the right teammate for Max Verstappen, with Helmut Marko admitting the team needs a driver who can stay consistent without trying to directly challenge the reigning champion.

Following Sergio Perez’s departure, Red Bull briefly turned to Liam Lawson - only to drop the rookie after two races. Yuki Tsunoda has since taken over the seat, but despite flashes of promise, the 25-year-old hasn’t yet proven he can consistently deliver at the front.

Technical director Pierre Wache was blunt about the team's ongoing issues: "We didn't succeed with Checo, we didn't succeed with Liam. With Yuki, we're still trying."

Marko echoed the concern, suggesting a different type of mindset is needed alongside Verstappen. "We need a stable guy who goes his own way and doesn't try to beat Max. Everyone else makes that mistake."

Marko also revealed that Nico Hulkenberg, who impressed in his Sauber in Barcelona, was once a serious contender for the second seat. "When we took on Perez, Hulkenberg was also in the conversation. But then Perez won in Bahrain," he said.

As for Oscar Piastri - who leads the current standings and, like Hulkenberg, is firmly under contract with his current team - Marko was complimentary but cautious. "Oscar learns very quickly, is a cool analyst by nature, but he's not yet at Max's level.

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Tsunoda has sometimes shown pace in practice but struggles to replicate it under pressure. Yuki would have to do more laps, but there aren't any. But we must not overlook the fact that our cars are often disastrous on Fridays," Marko added.

Christian Horner, when asked about Tsunoda’s long-term prospects and the rise of Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar, dodged a direct answer. "I think I'm going to take a leaf out of Flavio's book and say I don't want to answer that," he joked.

Still, Horner left the door open: "It's early days for Yuki. He's been in Q3, scored points - even from the pitlane. He's had a few incidents as well, so he has a long way to go. We've got plenty of time on our side to decide what to do."