Helmut Marko rates Yuki Tsunoda's first Red Bull race after he finished 12th

advisor has issued his verdict on Yuki Tsunoda's first outing in the Red Bull car after the Japanese driver replaced Liam Lawson. Tsunoda finished 12th at his home Grand Prix in Japan, with team-mate Max Verstappen taking the victory ahead of championship rivals and McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Lawson was axed from the Red Bull team after just two races of the season, . However, one of the architects behind the move, Marko, was quick to double down on the decision following a similarly uninspiring show from Tsunoda.

Commenting to Motorsport.com, Marko explained: "It was good. It was just unlucky that in Qualifying 2 he had this mistake. But otherwise it was fine."

It was in sharp contrast to Tsunoda's own assessment, with the Japanese ace admitting he was hoping for a better first outing as Verstappen's new partner. Speaking after the race, the 24-year-old claimed: "I'm happy with the race, in terms of my performance. But obviously, in terms of results, it's quite tough, especially for my home Grand Prix. I was definitely expecting more, and you know, at least I wanted to finish in a point, so it's mixed feelings."

It comes after suggestions that the Red Bull car isn't actually up to much, and instead, four-in-a-row champion Verstappen is getting the best out of a bad motor. Andrea Stella, McLaren's team principal, leaned into this theory, stating: "I think definitely the most important condition to pursue both championships is having the best car.

"So somehow this relates to what I said before it's important that when we are not in condition to win we keep racing in a robust way. Okay, like if you can't win, finish on the podium and in the long term if you keep performing like this, I think this will be rewarding. I think Max, at the moment, is somehow making the difference himself, but it's very difficult to keep up for 24 events in a season if you don't have the best car."

Tsunoda will have the chance to make a bigger statement than his debut showing in the Red Bull car this weekend when he and the rest of the drivers head to Bahrain for the fourth race of the season. Just one point separates Norris and Verstappen at the top of the Drivers' Championship standings, with the challenger currently ahead of the champion.