Overview
- Tsunoda said his Baku high‑fuel runs were "much better" than anything he has managed this year, with early data indicating a step toward solving his race‑pace weakness.
- Despite recent qualifying gains, Tsunoda’s main deficit remains long‑run pace, and he has scored only nine points since his promotion, a slump he and the team say they cannot fully explain.
- Helmut Marko reiterated that Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar hold 2026 contracts but that driver placements will be decided after late October.
- Hadjar dismissed reports of a done deal for Red Bull Racing, saying he has signed nothing and will wait for end‑of‑season decisions, though he is widely viewed as the leading candidate.
- Marko says Tsunoda is still in contention and must log consistent points, while team figures see Hadjar’s main growth area as qualifying consistency and a wider junior shuffle remains possible.