Former Red Bull F1 star admits he 'knows stuff that cannot be said' about team
Pierre Gasly has claimed that he 'knows some stuff that can't be said' regarding the struggles of friend Yuki Tsunoda during his stint with Red Bull. The Japanese driver joined the Milton Keynes outfit following an extended successful spell with their sister team, but has struggled to produce the results they are after.
Since stepping up, Tsunoda has managed just 10 points for the team. That has left Max Verstappen as the only one regularly bringing in the results for the team, which has seen Red Bull slip to fourth in the constructors' championship with 10 rounds to go in this 2025 season.
With the summer break now in full swing, Tsunoda finds himself enduring a seven-race run without finishing better than 12th, having managed just seven points for Laurent Mekies' outfit since taking over from Liam Lawson two rounds into the campaign.
But remarks from ex-Red Bull racer Gasly suggest there could be more behind Tsunoda's difficulties than appears obvious. "What is tricky is my time, a lot of things can't be said, because you are a driver, you are working for a team and, as a professional, you cannot share all the information on the specific situations," the Frenchman explained.
"Talking with Yuki, I know some stuff that cannot be said, and it is not easy. It is not easy to be in this situation. You try to do what is best for the team and sometimes you get given something to make it work, and sometimes you are in a situation where, for different reasons, it cannot quite work the way you like.
"So, knowing from experience, I just try to chat as a friend and just advise on stuff that may help him. And I think ultimately, it is up to him and the team to make it work and do the right things for it to work."
Tsunoda's difficulties have sparked worries about his immediate prospects within the team. Lawson's brief two-race stint proved that Red Bull aren't hesitant to shake up their driver line-up mid-season, and the Japanese racer's results have fallen far short of what was hoped.
With 10 races left in 2025, Tsunoda finds himself languishing in 18th position out of 21 competitors in the drivers' championship. As only Verstappen is consistently bagging points, Red Bull are 42 adrift of Mercedes in third place ahead of them.
Nevertheless, for the time being, Tsunoda continues to enjoy backing from team boss Mekies. "The priority is to give Yuki what he needs to perform," the team principal stated in Hungary. "That is where, with regards to the second seat, that is where the priority is. It is what the team is concentrated on.
"They have been trying that for a number of races now. We are trying to find ways together to make a further step. You know, Spa was very positive, certainly from that perspective. Here it is a bit of a tricky weekend overall, so it is probably a bit more difficult to judge. But there is no reason why Yuki's performance cannot be what we have seen in the past."
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Daily Mirror
8 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Former Red Bull F1 star admits he 'knows stuff that cannot be said' about team
Yuki Tsunoda has endured a difficult start to life at Red Bull Racing, and his former team-mate Pierre Gasly has hinted that there could be more to his struggles than meets the eye Pierre Gasly has claimed that he 'knows some stuff that can't be said' regarding the struggles of friend Yuki Tsunoda during his stint with Red Bull. The Japanese driver joined the Milton Keynes outfit following an extended successful spell with their sister team, but has struggled to produce the results they are after. Since stepping up, Tsunoda has managed just 10 points for the team. That has left Max Verstappen as the only one regularly bringing in the results for the team, which has seen Red Bull slip to fourth in the constructors' championship with 10 rounds to go in this 2025 season. With the summer break now in full swing, Tsunoda finds himself enduring a seven-race run without finishing better than 12th, having managed just seven points for Laurent Mekies' outfit since taking over from Liam Lawson two rounds into the campaign. But remarks from ex-Red Bull racer Gasly suggest there could be more behind Tsunoda's difficulties than appears obvious. "What is tricky is my time, a lot of things can't be said, because you are a driver, you are working for a team and, as a professional, you cannot share all the information on the specific situations," the Frenchman explained. "Talking with Yuki, I know some stuff that cannot be said, and it is not easy. It is not easy to be in this situation. You try to do what is best for the team and sometimes you get given something to make it work, and sometimes you are in a situation where, for different reasons, it cannot quite work the way you like. "So, knowing from experience, I just try to chat as a friend and just advise on stuff that may help him. And I think ultimately, it is up to him and the team to make it work and do the right things for it to work." Tsunoda's difficulties have sparked worries about his immediate prospects within the team. Lawson's brief two-race stint proved that Red Bull aren't hesitant to shake up their driver line-up mid-season, and the Japanese racer's results have fallen far short of what was hoped. With 10 races left in 2025, Tsunoda finds himself languishing in 18th position out of 21 competitors in the drivers' championship. As only Verstappen is consistently bagging points, Red Bull are 42 adrift of Mercedes in third place ahead of them. Nevertheless, for the time being, Tsunoda continues to enjoy backing from team boss Mekies. "The priority is to give Yuki what he needs to perform," the team principal stated in Hungary. "That is where, with regards to the second seat, that is where the priority is. It is what the team is concentrated on. "They have been trying that for a number of races now. We are trying to find ways together to make a further step. You know, Spa was very positive, certainly from that perspective. Here it is a bit of a tricky weekend overall, so it is probably a bit more difficult to judge. But there is no reason why Yuki's performance cannot be what we have seen in the past."
BBC News
8 hours ago
- BBC News
Billion-dollar owners, so why might Red Bull era dawn slowly at Newcastle?
Jamie Noon's explanation of the excitement around Red Bull's imminent takeover of Newcastle is succinct - but accurate."I just can't imagine Red Bull coming in and doing a half-arsed job," says the former England centre, who made 203 appearances for the club."That's not their style."There is huge potential there and the investment Red Bull are making won't just be financial, but also the expertise and professionalism from other sports."It is hard to argue with Red Bull's record of turning struggling football and Formula 1 teams into superpowers and heavyweight investment in top-end cycling and ice hockey, the Austrian energy drink giant is surely not going to stand for scraping the bottom of the Prem for fans are certainly dreaming. When the club opened season ticket sales last week, they recorded the highest demand for 10 years, up 197% on 2024's first-day of those sign-ups might hope to see something akin to the star-studded line-up Noon joined in then, bankrolled by Sir John Hall, England stars present and future Rob Andrew and Jonny Wilkinson turned out for a title-winning Falcons side, along with British and Irish Lions John Bentley, Alan Tait, Tony Underwood and Doddie Weir, and All Black code-crosser Va'aiga who now works as an agent in England and France, warns that a return to those heady days may not be immediate. "Everybody assumes that they're going to sign Antoine Dupont or whoever because they can afford it they can go hard," he says."But is that the right thing? I don't necessarily think it is. Not yet anyway."The recruitment cycle is over in France for next season, most of it's finished in the UK as well, so there's not a load of quality waiting for Red Bull to ring up."Most of the clubs are already back and have their players back."It'll be difficult, but they have to make some good decisions based on the long-term project."Red Bull have tried to get ahead of the the final details of the takeover deal were signed off at the end of last week, Red Bull have made funds available before completion to thaw out Newcastle's recruitment scrum-half Simon Benitez Cruz, who impressed against the Lions and England this summer, has been recruited, along with hard-running Japanese back row Amanaki Clarke, Jamie Hodgson and George McGuigan have also arrived to shore up the with the exception of Benitez Cruz who has signed a two-year deal, have contracts that run to the end of the season, suggesting they are stop-gap signings, while bigger names are lined Tom Christie, who started for New Zealand's Crusaders in their Super Rugby win over the Chiefs in June, may be next according to the Daily Telegraph., externalStopping players leaving may be as crucial as bringing them in are bound by the Prem's spending Bull is worth billions, but can only bring £6.4m in wages to bear on the bottom line, admittedly with one star's pay excluded from that credits exist for producing home-grown talent and penalties are liable for fielding too many players who do not qualify for the only top-flight club for more than 100 miles, Newcastle have a huge catchment area for support and ability to retain the likes of Callum Chick, Jamie Blamire and Adam Radwan - all England internationals who have departed this year - is key to Newcastle's future. "They can't just go all foreign and bring in a host of Kiwis and South Africans, so they're going to make sure that they're clever," says Noon."I think they're conscious of trying to get enough quality guys to get through the season, but with a view that actually there's a long-term project. With a bit more time and patience they can get the guys they want, as opposed to who is available."Red Bull's entry into the Prem marks the end of a year-long search for a buyer for last autumn, long-time club owner Semore Kurdi brought in A&W Capital, specialists in the sale of sports teams, to find someone to take the club was a pressing concern not just for Kurdi, who has put many millions of his own money into the club since becoming owner in 2011, or Newcastle, but the league as a the demise of Worcester Warriors, Wasps and London Irish, another club going under would have reduced the Prem to nine clubs. Each round would involve only four fixtures and the gate receipts and product for broadcasters and sponsors would situation was so stark that earlier this year Sky News reported, external the other Premiership clubs, along with CVC Partners who part-own the league, were prepared to loan Newcastle £4m to keep them Bull's investment is a vastly preferable option for all dire circumstances and Kurdi's desire to see the club in good hands meant Red Bull could cut a deal with little initial cost beyond taking on responsibility for the club's £39m Rugby has been understandably eager to facilitate an acquisition that solves a short-term problem and fits long-term league has rebranded from the Premiership to target a younger demographic, one that ties in well with Red Bull's consumer also hopes to switch to a franchise model, perhaps as soon as 2026-27, doing away with on-pitch relegation. Such a move would reduce the risk of investing in distressed assets such as Newcastle, something that can spook potential the plan to rename Newcastle Falcons as Newcastle Red Bulls was simple and Bull ran into stiff opposition from the German football federation over their renaming of RB Leipzig in 2009. The RB officially stands for RasenBallsport, rather than the energy drink that bankrolled the team's rise up the leagues, as a concession to rugby, which has seen plenty of rebrands and title sponsors since the dawn of professionalism, has no such qualms. Red Bull already has links with Newcastle's football team, external and university., externalUltimately, it proved an ideal opportunity to expand its involvement in rugby from the sponsorship of a few high-profile players, such as South Africa captain Siya Kolisi and ex-England wing Jack Nowell, into something more Rugby hopes it is the start of a new sustainable era, in which clubs are owned and grown by corporate investors, rather than propped up by local business owners and have attracted a blue-chip brand such as Red Bull, while the rebel R360 start-up competition also hunts investment, is a resounding vote of Bull was not the only potential buyer identified in A&W Capital's search, but was clearly the best option if a deal could be it has been, the focus will shift from the paperwork to the pitch."Newcastle is an awesome place - the people are fantastic," says Noon."When I was there it was quite a young club, full of energy and we did it our way - we moved the ball around a lot and took people on."In a football-mad town, we kind of felt a little bit like [former Newcastle manager Kevin] Keegan, in trying to score one more than they did as a backline."It's so exciting that everybody's talking Newcastle again and the buzz is flying around. 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Powys County Times
9 hours ago
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I was determined to make instant impact, says new Celtic star Benjamin Nygren
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